Formulaic but funny, and Eva Mendes is smokin' hot!

Rating: Null/10 (11 February 2005)

Call me a romantic comedy loving sap if you want to, but I enjoyed Hitch. There, I said it. I enjoyed yet ANOTHER romantic comedy. I guess I'm just a sucker for hot babes and some good laughs. It's a powerful combination that helps me overlook a movie's shortcomings, of which Hitch has a few: it gets too sappy at the end, it's predictable, it's formulaic. You've pretty much seen it all before:
* Unlikely couple meets. * Unlikely couple dances around a relationship. * Unlikely couple finally gets together. * Unlikely couple experiences a major misunderstanding that splits them up. * Unlikely couple finally realizes the misunderstanding and reconciles.
Not once did I find myself teetering on the edge of my seat, wringing my hands in despair because I was fearful of a disastrous outcome. But who cares? What I did find myself doing was laughing out loud quite a bit, while also trying to conceal the drool that would escape on the right side of my mouth whenever Eva Mendes would appear on screen. Woo baby!
There are several things that helped me brush aside the familiarity and just enjoy the movie. You've got Eva who is hot and has a great personality. And Amber Valletta is pretty cute herself. Then there's Will Smith who is both charming and funny. He exhibits good chemistry with both Mendes and Kevin James, who is pretty funny in his own right. Come on, fat guy dancing! That's always good for a few laughs. Some people might find the over-the-top dancing a bit silly, but I'm one of those guys who can always find humor in watching white people try to dance like black people but doing a horrible job of it.
I laughed pretty consistently throughout the movie until they cued the sappy "You are the wind beneath my wings"-esquire dialogue near the end. I sincerely suggest that you pop the top on the Maalox or Pepto Bismal, take a good couple of swigs as Will Smith begins his extremely gay speech about love, falling, flying, taking leaps, blah blah blah, and your stomach should settle enough to let you enjoy a little more silly dancing at the end. Eva Mendes. Tight dress. Dancing. Thumbs up.
Sure, things got a little too gay at times, but I appreciated the handful of moments where the movie poked fun at what initially looks like a sappy scene. I loved the bit with Eva watching Jerry Maguire and crying during the "You complete me" scene, which is one of the most gag-inducing lines of all time. Yeah, and you just completed my digestion cycle, Tom, because my food's coming back up. That's one line that simply can't be made fun of enough.
My recommendation is that you grab your sweetie, accept that you're not gonna see any new ground being broken, make sure you have your yellow bucket handy for Will's big speech at the end, and enjoy a funny, cutesy, fairly safe romantic comedy for Valentine's.
THE GIST
Hitch has enough laughs for the guys (and well, enough Eva for the guys) and enough romance for the ladies, for me to recommend it to those of you looking for a cute romantic comedy to help you celebrate Valentine's. There are a few moments that will gag you with sugary sweetness, but strong performances by Will Smith, Eva Mendes, and Kevin James help you overlook it.
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)