Reminded me of a Shakespearean Comedy

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2005)

Now I know some people are going to read this summary title and say, "How dare you dishonor Shakespeare by comparing his works to this movie?!" But let's not forget he wrote for his fellow man in his time.
Besides, I'm talking more about the structure than anything else: everyone pretty much has money and it's not an issue, the biggest problems in these people's lives are finding love, there's a lot of assuming, miscommunication and misunderstanding, there are long passages of dialog much like the Bard's plays (i.e. when the 2 are on the couch and talking about feelings/history), there's the cocky main hero, an eager but awkward assistant/friend, a shrewish smart woman who is hard to get, a dumb friend, the woman all people want but only the pure of heart can get, not to mention one bad guy who is more of a jerk than a villain, but despite confusion, everyone ends up happy in the end and getting married (which we know in real life that marriage usually doesn't equal happiness but in love comedies it does), there's even a big dance party at the end. Phew! - sounds like Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Love's Labour's Lost, etc. to me.
I guess my point in saying all this is that the movie hits universal chords since both sexes have struggles with love and while this is clearly from a man's point of view, it is humorous and has some touching moments too.
Will Smith works really well here as always with his charm. Even his "Smith-isms" (aka really stupid "cool" lines he always has in every movie) only are limited and are toned down such as when he twists the jerk's arm. Kevin James is really likable and hilarious as an awkward man, and has a big career ahead of him. The only person who was awful was Eva Mendes - she just cannot act. All my friends pretty much agreed that she's there to be looked at for her beauty instead of talent (not that I'm complaining).
I liked the fact nothing was made of interracial marriage - which wasn't planned but due to scheduling/budget conflicts with a known black actress they went with Eva and it worked to the film's advantage. A great date movie most men and women will enjoy.
7/10 Not a classic but good for a date