Nice, well paced Romantic movie

Rating: 7/10 (21 April 2005)

Most Romantic Comedies always end up falling into the trap of clichéd story lines. While Hitch has a new concept, it too tends to veer off into the predictable. Nevertheless, what is enjoyable is the way the movie is presented - It is well edited, slick and the story moves at the perfect pace. You never feel that the storyline is dragging.
Will Smith plays Alex Hitchens, a 'date' doctor who teaches clueless men how to impress women into going out with them. His latest client is Albert Brenneman (Kevin James), whose besotted with a client of the accounting firm where he works. The problem is that the client happens to be Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), a rich socialite whose circle of friends wouldn't normally include a lowly accountant like Albert. This portion of the movie resonates very well since it tries to impress upon us that true love can cross all barriers, especially social ones, and Albert's declarations of love for the wealthy and supposedly out of reach Allegra are heartwarming.
Hitch on the other hand is a Player, the exact opposite of Albert when it comes to women. He has his theories on how to go about things with women and they're tried and tested, as can be seen from the many clients he's had over the years. But he finds he's unable to put his theories into practice when he bumps into Sarah (Eva Mendes). His first two dates with her end up being disasters. But he still finds himself falling for her. Sarah, who works as a gossip Columnist (and has Adam Arkin for a Boss) is trying to follow up a story about Allegra Cole and her latest breakup. Hitch's attempts to help Albert and Sarah's efforts to find out the truth about Albert and Allegra lead to friction between Hitch and Sarah.
The movie here fades into predictability, with Hitch philosophizing about the dangers of love and ending up being accused of selling something he doesn't believe in to his clients. But, on a happy note, the movie doesn't go down the vulgar route even once and tends to lay a great deal of emphasis on love rather than sex, which means it might appeal to a greater audience than a typical sex comedy.
Hitch isn't spectacular but it is definitely solid and well made - It might be a great movie for a date, but it also has things which single people can appreciate and learn from. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I rate it a 7 out of 10 for excellent direction and better than average acting, especially from Smith (who restrains his tendency to overact) and James, whose performance was excellent. Mendes could have done better, but as a bonus, she looks stunning in practically every shot. So all in all, Hitch is good enough entertainment for an evening at the Cinema, especially if you have a date to keep you company.