Here's the 'Hitch' - we don't need this whole thing...

Rating: 4/10 (29 June 2005)

... Watching this reminded me of those old Doris Day confections that this film desperately wants to be like; you know, the kind of thing where the dapper columnist wines and dines their target in search of the perfect 'expose', only to wind up falling for them in the process... Then I thought back to previous modern-day interpretations. Guess what? I couldn't come up with any. The closest I got was "Down with Love"; which technically doesn't count, since it's more of a sly tribute than a fresh look...
Now there's Hitch, though; and it demonstrates perfectly why this type of tale isn't really attempted, anymore. In this day and age, we have all sorts of conveniences to help the romantically inept - not least of which is the Internet; and the film never managed to convince me why people in need of help would turn to Hitch over more anonymous - and less expensive - alternatives...
I guess the answer that's closest to the truth, if not actually overtly spelt out, is "because he's Will Smith". There again, the producers (included Will himself) have sensed a soft target of ladies who usually swoon, and guys who normally laugh, at the 'Fresh Prince' himself; 'cept that wasn't how it went down - at least not for me.
It must have seemed like an all-too-safe bet to attach Will Smith to a romantic comedy and let him breeze through scenes with his easy charm and flair for drawing a chuckle. So much so that the end result is HORRENDOUSLY 'pre-packaged'; with his role not being so much a character as a marketing man's idea of how best to sell 'Will the Romantic'. I was left feeling short-changed because I wanted some real personal insight; instead the effort was to sell me the same superficial patter as his desperate potential clients - only I wasn't buying...
That's the predictable romance covered; and because it's a different genre, the script doesn't make an effort to give us a whole lot of laughs, either. The attitude seems to be: "Well, we've written the romance, and we've got Will to make people laugh... ", but in truth; there's not much for him to work with.
This is apparently an indicator of things to come; a preview of what will happen when Mr. Smith hangs up his 'cape', and stops trying to save the world. He supposedly made the switch on the advice of his son. Well maybe when the lad gets older he'll realise that this is NOT the best way for affairs of the heart to resolve themselves; being as it is commercial and insincere, when what the real softies amongst us would like to see more of are great big helpings of emotional truth...