Hitch Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)February 14th, 2005
HITCH
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
"Any man has the chance to sweep any woman off of her feet," Alex "Hitch" Hitchens explains to us in voice-over. "He just has to have the right broom." You don't have to be a handsome stud like Will Smith, who plays the film's title character, in order to woo and win the woman of your dreams. You just need to learn to master the right techniques.
HITCH is a romantic comedy that's easy to fall in love with. A real crowd-pleaser, it is filled with witty, intelligent dialog and tastefully done physical comedy that is a treat for your heart and your mind. You'll laugh often and hard, and you'll be charmed and informed, since the movie deals with motivation as much as it does with dating skills. "Life is not the number of breaths you take," dating consultant Hitch tells us, "but what takes your breath away."
HITCH, directed with a perfect sense of comedic timing by Andy Tennant (SWEET HOME ALABAMA), has two parallel tracks. In one, Hitch helps a beefy klutz named Albert (Kevin James) go after the ridiculously unobtainable woman of his dreams, Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), a wealthy woman who is chauffeured around Manhattan in her Maybach, a half million dollar Mercedes. Albert turns out to be a lovable loser but doesn't need to be a loser after all, while the movie turns out not to be the slapstick version that the trailers would lead you to believe. Sure, in real life, Albert would never have a chance with Allegra, but the movie's romance manages to be as convincing as it is
improbable.
In the other track, Hitch, who has trouble practicing everything he preaches about dating, begins a relationship with Sara (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist for a New York tabloid. Her boss describes her as "a realist masquerading as a cynic, who is really an optimist." Think that she might end up reporting on her lover's business, which will cause them to have a falling out? Of course, but the film's overall predictability never detracts from its enjoyment. And it is filled with nice small twists and imaginative moments. Who would ever think of a first date on jet skis to visit Ellis Island?
Only in Andrew Dunn's lackluster cinematography does the movie ever disappoint. It's a great date movie for all ages. So snuggle up with your sweetheart, as I did, even if you've been married for three and a half decades, and enjoy the film's many joys together. You'll leave smiling and in love.
HITCH runs 1:55 but feels shorter. It is rated PG-13 for "language and some strong sexual reference" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, February 11, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
