"Hitch" is a funny movie driven by its well-defined, empathetic characters.

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2005)

Will Smith only has one character that he plays in every movie. You know him. The cool guy who always has a comeback, even in dangerous situations. The guy that can be wrong or act stupid and somehow you still want to be like him. The lead role in this movie was written for that character and the result is a physically and emotionally funny movie.
The plot of the movie did not take a genius to conjure it out of thin air; everyone knows about date doctors. In that same vein, the movie is predictable in many ways, the most prominent being foreshadowing through the characters' past experiences. But the secret of this movie, of all successful comedies, nay movies, nay fiction in general; are round characters.
In case it's been awhile since high school English, let me define a round character: it is a well-defined character that changes from the story's beginning to its end. This character has problems and opinions and anecdotes like real people. Because of these features, we can identify with him/her and cheer them on in their quest for whatever.
Every main character in "Hitch" fits this description. They also all manage to be funny in their own ways- Kevin James is the "born loser" who practices great physical comedy and could not dance to save his life, Eva Mendes is the vivacious gossip columnist with all the right answers to all of Hitch's classic lines, and I bet you can guess what kind of humor Will Smith practices through his character.
All of these different types of humor play off of each other well, merging into a movie where the audience will find themselves exchanging glances with their neighbors, nodding their heads in agreement with the dialogue, and laughing out loud on a number of occasions.
This movie narrowly escaped the pitfalls that usually coax comedies into the upsettingly abundant world of drivel. Luckily for us, "Hitch" avoids sexually explicit scenes or suggestive dialogue for the most part, which allows us to stay focused on the more important aspects of comedy at the beginning and the resolution of the plot at the end.
In short, "Hitch" is a movie that is worth your time and money. It is perfect for a Friday night date.