CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Hitch

Director

Andy Tennant

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Monday, March 14, 2005

I wasn’t expecting much from Hitch. Hell, I wasn’t even planning on seeing it! A friend convinced me to do so and I, unbeknownst to refusing an invitation to the movies, gladly accepted. After all it had likable stars, a director who usually makes good (not great) movies and a plot that sounded mildly intriguing. Fact is, I had a good enough time!

Alex Hitchens (Will Smith) is a legend with a rather unconventional profession: he sets people together. Or to put it another way: he helps people get together, but it’s up to them if it works or not. His latest case, Albert (Kevin James), is a rather difficult one, for he is trying to hook up with a millionaire celebrity heiress, Allegra (Amber Valletta). Thing is, Alex soon falls for a tabloid reporter, Sara (Eva Mendes), who just happens to be on Allegra’s trail.

Romantic comedies follow the usual formulas: boy-meets-girl, they like each other, complications ensue, boy-gets-girl. Sometimes the road to the end is more pleasant than others. With Hitch, I gotta say I had a lot of fun. Sure, the movie is overlong and sometimes plain stupid. But it’s also charming, well intentioned and well put-together.

It also helps that we care a lot about the characters. The best scenes in the movie belong to Kevin James, who I never thought that highly of before, but who acts his part really well, embodying Albert with the kind of innocence and good heart that is necessary. His exchanges with both Alex and Allegra are priceless. He made me laugh out loud more than once.

And then there’s the romance between Alex and Sara, which would’ve fallen apart if it weren’t for the fact that it’s developed in a rather original way. They both are know-alls who think they’ve got everything under control, so their relationship is quite original and not your usual sugarcoated one.

The actors all do a good job. Besides James, there’s Smith in his first romantic foray and he comes off victorious. His natural charm and charisma are enough for us to instantly like him. Eva Mendes, as his romantic interest, is quite good as well. It’s good to see a working, three-dimensional woman in a romantic comedy, and besides, she’s gorgeous. I also liked Amber Valletta a lot. I think everyone just blended really well together.

An enjoyable enough entry for the beginning of the year.

“Come on, it's not that bad.”

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