Often Very Funny and Worth Watching

Rating: 6/10 (29 June 2005)

Will Smith is Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, a long-time bachelor who has become known as the New York City "date doctor" who charges to help men get the women of their dreams. Although he helps all these other men, he somehow is not able to have nearly as much success with Sara (Eva Mendes), the woman he himself loves.
Hitch is a safe yet funny and entertaining romantic comedy. The premise sounds pretty good and the execution is also pretty good. Yes, it is very predictable and kind of cheesy. However, that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. I think Hitch is better than most romantic comedies that have come out in the past year because the characters are likable and Smith & Mendes have enough chemistry together to make the film work. Will Smith is very charming as Hitch. He plays the role well and he never gets annoying. It's also nice to see him in a film that doesn't involve a bunch of things blowing up. Eva Mendes also gives a pretty good performance and she is also very pretty.
Surprisingly, the best thing about Hitch is Kevin James. His performance is funny and also pretty realistic. The only problem is that most of his scenes appear in the trailer and this lessens the effect. I never really liked him before but now I hope he makes more movie appearances. Out of the four main actors, Amber Valletta is the weakest. She gives an average performance and she just doesn't fit well with the other three. The rest of the supporting actors are also pretty funny, especially the customers that ask Hitch for help.
The only problem I really have with Hitch is that it plays it too safe. If it was a little more edgier than the film could have been really good but it still stands an enjoyable romantic comedy. It's not really surprising that the film is safe since Andy Tennant is the director. He directed It Takes Two and Sweet Home Alabama. He's like the king of harmless, fluff films and Hitch is his best work to date. Another thing that bothered me was the running time. 118 minutes is too long for a predictable story and it does take a toll on the audience. I think it's bad since the story is by-the-numbers and the film takes awhile to reach obvious places. If it was a little shorter, than it would have been fine. In the end, Hitch is an enjoyable romantic comedy and one of the funniest films I have seen this year. Rating 8/10