Hitch (2005/I)

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Bisch (written by)

Release Date:

11 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The cure for the common man.

Plot:

While helping his latest client woo the fine lady of his dreams, a professional "date doctor" finds game doesn't quite work on the gossip columnist with whom he's smitten.

Plot Keywords:

Gossip | New York City | Chrysler Building New York City | Whistling | Advice

Awards:

3 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Will Smith	...	Alex 'Hitch' Hitchens
Eva Mendes	...	Sara Melas
Kevin James	...	Albert Brennaman
Amber Valletta	...	Allegra Cole
Julie Ann Emery	...	Casey Sedgewick
Adam Arkin	...	Max
Robinne Lee	...	Cressida Baylor
Nathan Lee Graham	...	Geoff
Michael Rapaport	...	Ben
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Vance Munson
Paula Patton	...	Mandy
Philip Bosco	...	Mr. O'Brian
Kevin Sussman	...	Neil
Navia Nguyen	...	Mika
Matt Malloy	...	Pete

Also Known As:

The Last First Kiss (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40751) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Sweden:Btl | New Zealand:M | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:10 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

12th Street and 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Albert's (Kevin James) little dance after he first kisses Allegra (Amber Valletta) is the same dance as John Goodman's in front of Holly Hunter in Always (1989)

Goofs:

Continuity: On the first flashback of Hitch at college, there are several people standing on the college stairs. In the next shot, everyone is sitting down on the stairs.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hitch: Basic Principles - no woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say "This is a really bad time for me," or something like "I just need some space," or my personal favorite "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

You Can Get It If You Really Want

Romantic Comedy Fit For Both Men And Women. Highly Recommended!

Hitch is about a man who knows what works with women and teaches the guys who do not do well with them some tricks of the trade. Actually, he more or less walks them through it. Hitch guarantees success up until the dreaded 3rd date kiss. After that, they are on their own. Of course, Hitch finds a girl who he falls for and everything that he thinks he knows does not work out for himself, when following the same guidelines. The movie was a well-written romantic comedy which both guys and girls could have a fun time watching. Perfect for Valentine's Day, which I'm sure was no marketing coincidence it was released on Valentine's Day weekend.

Will Smith is perfect as Hitch. His performance here reminded me of a more mature, possibly grown up Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. He was the smooth talker and was able to read any situation for himself or his clients to make a memorable impression, then have a memorable date with the women his clients are affectionate towards. Sounds a little sleazy, but Hitch has his own rules. He does not help out the guys who want to "Hit it and quit it", so to speak, only those who really seem to like or love the woman they are after. One thing the film never gets into is what Hitch makes for a job like this, as I wonder how much something like that could be worth in monetary value.

Eva Mendes plays Sara, Hitch's love interest. She does quite a good job in her role here. Sara is the type of girl who is always on the defense when approached by men, therefore, is leery of any advances. Hitch reads her well and makes his way in, until she discovers what is is he actually does. For some reason, women tend to take offense to his "job".

Kevin James is also perfect as Albert, a man who is in love with a rich woman named Allegra Cole, but she does not know he exists. His expressions of nervousness and fright are hilarious. Heck, the movie is just a darn good one. Nothing too offensive, a bad word here or there but nothing major. I do not think it warrants it's PG-13 rating, but a plain old PG would be fine for me. Regardless of it's rating, I can honestly recommend Hitch to just about anyone and Will Smith rarely disappoints. 9.5/10