Where oh Where was the Script Doctor for the Date Doctor?

Rating: 2/10 (16 June 2005)

Now and then movies with big name stars and expensive production budgets and PR hype that convince audiences that the Rapture is at hand hit the mat with a thud - and this HITCH is floored in the first half hour (of an overly long two hour movie!). Using a script that uses every cliché from the myriad other films that tell this same story gimmick using females in the Smith role of date doctor, this movie limps along with silly dialogue and pratfall type of comedy, all of which could be forgiven if there was a magical chemistry between the two top stars to make it click.
For all the talent Will Smith has demonstrated in the past (despite his recent over the top laffapaloozas like 'I, Robot', 'Men in Black I & II', 'Bad Boys I & II') such as 'Ali', 'Six Degrees of Separation', 'The Legend of Bagger Vance', he seems bent on accepting roles that are beneath him. In this bit of fluff he wastes time talking directly to the audience about the fine art of capturing a girl and then demonstrates his techniques ad infinitum on some blundering characters, ultimately trying to apply his own wisdom in courting Eva Mendes. At this point there should be romantic magic to make this dud work, but the chemistry between the two is so polar that we are forced to wait out a dating game that is less interesting than a Home Depot commercial.
The direction is sluggish when it begs to be slick and the acting is rudimentary at best. NOT for fans of the gifts of Will Smith, but if you're in need of a popcorn summer flick to fan away the heat, you might try this lump of ice. Grady Harp