A good romantic comedy, Kevin James steals every scene!

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2005)

I never really wanted to see "Hitch" to be honest. It looked rather lame to me but since the past few weeks, Hollywood hasn't released anything good, I figured what the heck. Also decent reviews for the film helped.
"Hitch" stars Will Smith as the date doctor named Hitch. Hitch knows everything there is to know about women so he helps people who can't get a date or mess up on dates, to do the opposite get the date and make it the perfect date. One day, Hitch gets a call from Albert (Kevin James) and this is Hitch's biggest project to date. But while helping Albert, the date doctor himself falls in love with a tabloid journalist named Sara (Eva Mendes) and from that point on Hitch can't do anything without messing up on his dates with Sara. Some funny moments ensue I have to say Kevin James's character Albert was the best character in the film. He was funny and very likable. I could relate to his character and enjoyed watching him do his thing as Albert. I think his role was perfectly cast. Will Smith was in the film a little too much if you ask me. I wanted more of Albert and the other people he helped. It was a little too much Will Smith but I have to say he was pretty believable in the film. I also have to add however he didn't do much for the comedy aspect except for the one scene which everyone already seen in the trailer and if you haven't seen the trailer I won't ruin the one really funny scene he has. Eva Mendes was also very good as Hitch's love interest. I actually liked her character more then Will Smith's. Its funny how that works in this film, the main character is the one I liked the least.
First time screenwriter Kevin Bisch wrote "Hitch", all I can really say is that this guy must have liked "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days." This movie reminded me of that movie at times. I did have the problem with the script as I said because like I said the film had too much about the Hitch character. From the trailer it seemed more about Albert but that wasn't the case for a good 30 minutes or so we don't even see Albert. I mean Will Smith seemed to want the whole film to him. I mean in the end it turned out more about Hitch then anyone else. I guess I was kind of disappointed by that. Also why are Fat People funny because they dance? I mean seriously it was amusing to me to see how flexible someone like Kevin James was but I know in the film it was more as a stupid fat guy joke. I mean not all fat people have to be morons but I did like that the tables did turn later on in the film and Kevin James seemed smart rather then stupid which the script first lead the viewer to believe. The dialogue was clever and smart of the characters. There wasn't much of a difference between Hitch though and many other romantic comedies, it followed a pretty usual formula. In the end, the script was above average.
The film's director Andy Tennant in my opinion has never made a good movie before this film. This guy directed "Sweet Home Alabama" I wanted to puke when watching that movie. It was one of the worst romantic comedies I have ever seen. This guy also directed the forgettable "Fools Rush In", "Anna and the King", and the Olsen twins film "It Takes Two." So I guess now I can say this film was great compared to the other films he directed. He at least got the chemistry of the characters on film; the New York location was good but as always ideal for romantic movies New York or some other big city. He did a decent job on this one; lets just keep on this track because I never want to see "Sweet Home Alabama 2." So in the end, "Hitch" is probably the best film in theaters right now if you already seen all the Oscar contenders. All the films released in 2005 so far that I have seen have been pretty bad. I would recommend this film for a few good laughs and to have a good time at the theater. Like I said earlier the film would have been better in my opinion, if Kevin James was in the film longer. I really dug his character and his role was amusing and sweet. There isn't much originality in "Hitch" however that doesn't mean it doesn't serve its purpose of entertainment fluff. I would recommend it.
MovieManMenzel's Rating for "Hitch" is a 7/10. A good date movie and for those not in a relationship a good movie to make you think about getting into one