A Perfect Example of its Genre

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2005)

Hitch is a romantic comedy. Of all movie genres romantic comedies are the most formula bound. Just as we know Perry Mason will win the case and Jason will kill a bunch of teenagers, we know that the handsome man will get the beautiful girl after around ninety minutes of painfully contrived obstacles. Why? Because that is what the audience wants. We don't go to these movies looking for innovation. We want the boy to get the girl and woe betides the director who messes with us in the name of Art. The danger of formula is it encourages sloppy productions. Cast some pretty leads, lay the jokes in with a trowel and stack the corn at the end and your golden, right? The nation's cinemas are littered with the wreckage of this sort of thinking. What the smart producer knows is while audiences may want the familiar ride they are also looking for a good story well told. The makers of Hitch were very smart. The movie conforms in every way to formula but distinguishes itself from the pack by its writing, some genuinely funny gags and its amiable tone.
Will Smith plays Hitch, a modern matchmaker dedicated to helping the average Joe land the girl of his dreams. His clients must be sincerely in love and he insists on working in secrecy, being more of a Cyrano de Bergerac than a Dolly Levi. His advice is sound and he genuinely cares for the schlubs that form his clientele. His current case involves a chubby, disaster prone accountant crazy for a beautiful heiress. As Hitch sets to work he meets an improbably sweet gossip columnist and finds himself falling in love. Of course Hitch is deathly afraid of commitment and the gossip is stubbornly cynical about romance in general. All of this folderol is as insubstantial as it sounds. Hitch does not incline the viewer to trot out weighty French critical terminology.
Romantic comedies rise and fall on the charm of their leads. Those fluffy Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies of the '60s would not be so fondly remembered if they starred, say, John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. Will Smith and Eva Mendes have charm to spare. Importantly Smith as Hitch doesn't come across as insincere. He's a nice articulate guy who genuinely likes the opposite sex and does his best by them. Mendes matches Smith's intelligence and gives Hitch reasons beyond her beauty for his growing infatuation. The supporting cast is no less involving. Kevin James is a hopeless, clumsy mess as the lovelorn accountant and his struggle to implement Hitch's smooth moves are as hilarious as they are endearing. Julie Ann Emery as Mendes' eternally hopeful best friend and Adam Arkin as Mendes' level headed boss are excellent. The only possible quibble is Amber Valletta as the heiress lacks the oomph in either looks or personality to so captivate the poor accountant.
Hitch is a determinedly sunny movie. With the exception of one loathsome yuppie all the characters are decent and likable, even those who work for the NY Post style tabloid. Manhattan is a beautiful and happy place where everyone is at least moderately well to do and there is no racial or ethnic tension. It's a world where love carries the stacked deck and Cupid is all mighty. Yes, this is a fantasy as broad as anything you'd see Gollum in, but man does not live by angst alone. Sometimes charm and laughs are important and Hitch fills the bill brilliantly.