Hitch (2005)

Hitch is an amiable if rote romantic comedy that maximizes the charms of its quartet of leads. Unfortunately, the film mines most of its narrative ore from the tiresome notion that modern-day males are complete idiots, as mystified by the female gender as a coyote is by the moon. How much more fun a film would this have been if the "date doctor" character had been a woman trying to help her sex understand male motivations and behaviors? It's certainly less played-out a concept than the one employed by writer Kevin Bisch and director Andy Tennant, and as evidenced by the success of a few recent, real-life best-sellers (He's Just Not That Into You, anyone?), the public seems primed for such a twist. But -- big sigh -- the filmmakers serve up the same-old, same-old, dancing-as-sex, chivalry-not-being-dead, groom-yourself-then-be-yourself maxims that this genre's fans have seen thousands of times already. Where the film ultimately works is in its appealing casting choices, with Will Smith and Kevin James providing solid buddy-comedy laughs in their mano a mano scenes, Eva Mendes doing a fine job as Hitch's slightly flinty sparring partner, and Amber Valletta a real surprise as a rich, classy beauty with actual brains and feelings. The moves are as pre-programmed as they get, but Hitch is good enough for a blind date or a post-dinner rental, where the expectations are a little lower. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide