Hitch Review
by Susan Granger (ssg722 AT aol DOT com)February 14th, 2005
Susan Granger's review of "Hitch" (Sony Pictures)
Will Smith has taken down aliens and robots, even sharks, so it was only a matter of time before he tackled his first big-screen romantic comedy. "Hitch" revolves around Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Smith), a renown "date doctor" with all the right moves. He's a charismatic, charming rascal who, for a fee, helps shy and socially inept men approach and win over the women of their dreams. "Eight out of 10 women believe that the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about a relationship," he says.
One of his clients is a tubby, clueless accountant ("King of Queens" Kevin James) who is desperately in love with a jet-setting heiress (Amber Valletta). But the irony is that Hitch himself is commitment-phobic because he's still suffering from an old heartbreak, so his cool, chivalrous self-confidence doesn't work with cautious Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), a foxy gossip columnist who works for an incredibly understanding editor (Alan Arkin) at a New York tabloid.
Written from a man's point-of-view by former "Details" editor Kevin Bisch and directed by Andy Tennant ("Sweet Home Alabama"), it's like a lower Manhattan travelogue with stops at the trendy Soho bistro Balthazar as well as the meatpacking district near 14th Street, which contains many of the city's hippest and most lively nightspots. The "Amp Lounge," for example, is loosely based on the real-life, exclusive Soho House. But that's part of the problem - the scenery is far more interesting than the characters. There are lots of comic set-ups, but they never seem to pay off the way they should. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Hitch" is a slick, streamlined 6, a sweet yet silly and, ultimately, forgettable ploy in the game of love.
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