Hello Willie!

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2005)

Basically a rehash of Gene Kelly's "Hello, Dolly!" with a hip 2000s, multi-cultural twist. Will Smith is the intrepid matchmaker who is good at setting up desperate men, but is alone and lonely himself. He falls in love with a cynical gossip page writer (Eva Mendes) who also appears to know much about relationships, but is alone as well. Good moments off and on are overshadowed by an interminable running time and a screenplay that basically chases down its own tail. Sitcom star Kevin James steals the show as a white-collar worker who falls hard for the very wealthy Amber Valletta and does anything and everything to prove his true affections for her. As romantic comedies go, this is pretty mundane. In fact it is pretty mundane as movies in general go. 2.5 out of 5 stars.