"That's a nice-a donut."

Friday, August 05, 2005

Hitch (2005)

Alex Hitchens (Will Smith) is the "Date Doctor", a self-made man who helps other men pick up dates. These men are occasionally losers, sometimes awkward, often lacking confidence, usually desperate, but generally just want to have a chance with the women that they have fallen for. Albert (Kevin James) has hired Hitch to help him with his infatuation, Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), some sort of famous celebrity and society woman. Meanwhile, Hitch has his own eyes on Sara (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist for a local newspaper. Things start to get a little complicated when Sara - who is on the trail of the hot story of Allegra and the no-name Albert - learns that Hitch may have something to do with it.

As soon as the film begins, and it reuses a song (Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World") that was already used to perfection in a classic scene from the great Peter Wier - Harrison Ford movie Witness, I just knew that I was in for a treat. I would be watching an innovative, refreshingly original treatise on romance and relationships told with a dry, biting humor and a fair share of heartfelt drama. Of course there would also be plenty of laugh out loud moments. The ever-versatile Will Smith would break the Hollywood mold once again and deliver yet another shining performance, one that would provide new insights on male dating behavior. Hugh Grant, George Clooney, or John Cusack - forget them. None of the characters would be cliched or hackneyed, but would instead be unique creations, developed with a sly eye towards real world and things that people can relate to.

I expected that the ending would be smart, completely believable, thoroughly convincing, and highly rewarding. It wouldn't matter if the characters ended up together or not - though we would certainly care either way - because they would each have had personal revelations and their lives would be changed forever. Casablanca - your place has been usurped.

Then, before the opening credits were even over, I woke up. Hitch is Hollywood to the max. It is an overlong, seen-it-all-before comedy. It tries to be too deep, and provide for some philosophy or lessons in love, but if fails in that regard. There are a few brief fun scenes where Hitch is with his clients, working his magic, but Smith gives pretty much the same safe performance we've seen from him before. James can be pretty funny, though, and provides for most of the better moments. Everyone else seemed to be sleepwalking through this. All told, director Andy Tennant (who?) isn't able to provide us with anything new. The movie seems to have been made solely to squeeze a few more dollars out of Smith's trademark laid back style. Hitch don't know much about history, don't know much biology, and don't know much about romantic comedies either.

The Verdict: C-.

Michael Bentley 10:00 AM

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