“No
matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any man has a chance to sweep any
woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom. -- Alex “Hitch”
Hitchens
That’s
the motto Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Will Smith) has used to form a legendary
– and deliberately anonymous – New York City “date doctor”
business. Where for a fee, he can school even the most challenged love-seeker
in the ways of wooing the women of their dreams. The field is a ripe one, with
so many men encountering difficulty finding love, because it's hard to be yourself
when your "self" thinks you should be someone else. That's where Hitch
comes in as a tactical adviser who specializes in first impressions -- he customizes
and orchestrates a client's first three dates. While coaching Albert (Kevin James),
a shy and somewhat awkward and portly accountant who is smitten with a glamorous
celebrity, Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), Hitch finally meets his match in the
person of the gorgeous, whip-smart Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist
who follows Allegra’s every move. The ultimate professional bachelor, Hitch
(the detached master) suddenly finds himself falling fatally in love with Sara,
a reporter whose biggest scoop could very well be the unmasking of Manhattan’s
most famous date doctor. .Thus the stage is set for a madcap romantic comedy.
The
movie is downright hilarious from beginning to end. I really can’t remember
when I laughed this hard in a theater. Sure, Sideways had me in stitches with
its sophisticated humor and wit, but Hitch had me rolling in the aisles for the
exact opposite reason. Yes the humor in Hitch is of a decidedly sophomoric nature,
but particularly in the sequences where Smith and James share the screen, Hitch
is a comic knockout. Much of this is due to the familiarity of the situations
- we’ve all been on those uncomfortable first dates, trying to get things
off on the right foot, and often finding that foot in our mouth. At some point
every man has been in Albert’s shoes and could have used someone like Hitch
to guide us through those awkward moments. Along with the laughs there is plenty
of smarts and insight, and it’s this strong writing and terrific performances
by both Smith and James that allows Hitch to transcend many of it’s more
cliched pitfalls.
Smith
is the perfect for this role. Hitch is tailor made for his smarmy, self-absorbed
persona, and Smith is wise to let a film like this take the piss out of his big
movie-star image. He pretty much plays himself in this film and seeing him get
his comeuppance is a large part of the Hitch's charm. Even so it is Kevin James
who is the real revelation here - his turn is not wild and unmannered, but full
of the kind of comic grace that was once the province of John Candy. If Hitch
is an accurate indication, I think we can look for James to eventually stake out
a place for himself among the great comics of the silver screen.
Hitch
has a little something for everybody and alot for most - definitely the best date-comedy
film so far this year. Hitch it up!
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