A Nutshell Review: Hitch

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 2005)

Hitch's a date doctor. Got a problem with initiating contact with the woman of your dreams? Then Hitch's your consultant for hire - he'll teach you the ropes, and by 3 dates, you'll know if it can or cannot work out, if you follow his advice that is. But he draws the lines with jerks. In the first meeting with you, he'll size you up in minutes, to see if you're someone worth working with/for, or to walk away from.
For the guys, this movie shares with you many good date tips, so much so that you'll sometimes be at a lost with the barrage of tips, or at times go "that's common sense!", or even, "hey, I know/can do that!" For the girls, I guess it's good fun to know the extent and fear each guy go through just to ask you out - sometimes things go fine, sometimes they just go awry, and it happens even to a smooth operator like Hitch!
The film opens with Will Smith talking to the camera, kinda like Alfie, but Smith can do no wrong. From action (Bad Boys, Independence Day) to drama (Ali) to Sci-fi (I, Robot), and now romantic comedy, he has anchored himself as a leading man, whose name on the marquee can open any movie. Kevin James is comedy fodder as Albert, the man whom Hitch coaches - those dance moves you saw in the trailer, well, there's more! Eva Mendes star as Hitch's opposite number, a cynical gossip columnist who's after the dirt between Albert and babe Amber Valletta.
There are many memorable scenes in this movie, but my personal favourite is when Hitch and Sara first interact in a pub. I laugh at lame pick up lines/attempts, but this one - the banter's really smart and witty, and best of all, the lush sounds of Everything But The Girl's Five Fathoms is playing in the background. Tracey Thorn rocks, and the scene, perfect. Peppered throughout the movie are contemporary pop songs that you surely can identify.
But as with most romantic comedies, the plot's formulaic - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and the endings are usually cop-outs and happily-ever-afters. But I'm not finding fault - this film addresses timeless, current and real-life dating issues, and it redeemed itself with a hilarious ending scene to what is an enjoyable flick.