“Hitch” Film Review

Directed by Andy Tennant

Starring: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James

Rated PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references

Hitch is a romantic comedy starring Will Smith as the titular character. Alex “Hitch” Hitchens is a dating coach who helps men land a date with the woman of their dreams. Hitch helps Albert (played by Kevin James) get a date with Allegra Cole (played by Amber Valletta), a wealthy celebrity whose’s love life is on tabloid papers. While helping Albert, Hitch is also dating Sara (played by Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist who takes an interest in reporting Cole’s love life.

Hitch is a great hilarious film that brings a good chuckle out of me every once in a while. Will Smith was on top of the world during this era, coming fresh out of Bad Boys II and I, Robot. Smith proves that he is more than capable than starring in action films and can go back to his roots in comedy. Smith brings wit and charm to the role of the dating coach. It’s not hard to believe that Smith can cleverly pick up a date as his charisma works in his favor. In addition, Smith works best with his co stars Kevin James and Eva Mendes. The scenes with Smith and James are very humorous as their polar opposite personalities somehow works well. Meanwhile, the scenes with Smith and Mendes are adorable they are almost magnetic and work well off each other. These two are both charming and smart in their own way and you want to see these two succeed together.

While the film is a fine watch, it does have its typical cliches that are common in rom-coms. These cliches are not bothersome nor do take away from the enjoyment from the film, but its worth mentioning as the film does go by the numbers. Also, the ending is a bit too Hollywood for me. How do I mean? Well, the ending is a bit unrealistic and feels a bit forced. I know its customary for rom-coms to have a happy ending and I am certainly not asking for a gloomy ending, but something more realistic would be nice for a change.

Overall, Hitch is an enjoyable two hours filled with lighthearted and amusing moments. It’s stars Smith, Mendes, and James bring a good chuckle to the role every once in a while. Smith is certainly in top form here at the height of his popularity. Hitch is sweet comedic film that is certainly worth a watch.

3/4