Classic Movie Review: 'Hitch' and Will Smith 20 Years Later

Hitch (2005)

Directed by Andy Tennant

Written by Kevin Bisch

Starring Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Amber Valetta, Michael Rappaport, Adam Arkin

Release Date February 11th, 2005

Published February 8th 2025

With his wit, style and natural charisma it was a wonder in 2005 why Will Smith had not attempted to master the romantic comedy genre. By the time Smith made Hitch, it had been a solid five years since Smith had done a film without a weapon in his hand and an explosion at his back. Not since his breakthrough on TV's Fresh Prince Of Bel Air had Smith done anything close to comedy that wasn’t a one liner amid a hail of bullets.

In New York City there is an urban legend about a guy so charming that he has taken to teaching other men to emulate his charms. This legend is known as the Date Doctor and while most don't believe he exists, he does, in fact, exist in the form of Alex Hitchens, known as Hitch to his clients. The Date Doctor guarantees he can help any guy get any girl in three dates or less. Don't get the wrong idea though, he's not some alpha make pick up artist, Hitch won't help a guy with a one night stand, nor will he teach men to lie to women. He's all about helping them find true love in a long term relationship.

In a completely predictable twist, the man who has made obtaining love for others his life's work, Hitch does not believe in love for himself. That is until Hitch meets Sara (Eva Mendes), a cynical gossip columnist who does not believe the Date Doctor exists, though she is searching for him for a story. From her dates with Hitch she has no reason to believe it could be him as one disaster after the next intervenes to ruin each date. For some reason, Hitch's natural charm fails him at every turn in terrifically disastrous romantic comedy fashion, any time he tries to help himself find love.

Because Sara doesn't believe there is such a person as a Date Doctor you have your natural romantic comedy obstacle: how will she react to finding out her new boyfriend is this mystical Date Doctor? But first she has to find out and that is where Albert (Kevin James) comes in. Albert is a lovable but socially inept accountant who has fallen head over heels for a supermodel named Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). With Hitch's help Albert manages to get a date with Allegra which catches the attention of the gossip columnist and our plot kicks in.

Hitch is not exactly original in execution. The film has many, if not all, of the classic romantic comedy cliches. Director Andy Tennant knows those cliches backwards and forwards. They are his bread and butter from the awful, cliche ridden Reese Witherspoon comedy Sweet Home Alabama to the slightly less repulsive, Matthew Perry (RIP)-Salma Hayek rom-com Fools Rush In. Tennant directs Hitch as a standard rom-com, as if he has never known another way to tell a story.

The only thing that helped Hitch stand apart from other romantic comedies is Will Smith and his love interest, the smoldering and sexy Eva Mendes. Where previous couplings in films directed by Andy Tennant have fizzled under the weight of his heavy handed direction, Smith and Mendes manage to float above the commonness of the film. They are helped greatly by Kevin James, who does much of the comic heavy lifting. With James shouldering the burden of the more tiresome and forced comic moments, Smith and Mendes are free to turn up the romantic heat with their sparkling chemistry.

Again, it’s strange that Will Smith avoided this genre for most of his career. He’s a natural at it. He’s suave and witty but willing to look silly if the scene calls for it. He has a natural appeal to him that makes him a natural for the genre. A few more movies like Hitch might have made Smith feel less like the robotic, slightly odd movie star he became before the Oscar slap ruined his career and made him look like a troubled Hollywood weirdo.

In a way, looking back on Hitch is a nice memory. 20 years later, Hitch reminded me why I have always had an affinity for Will Smith. His easy smile and endless charisma are unforced and his chemistry with Kevin James as his client turned closest friend, gives Smith the chance to look as close to a regular guy on screen as he ever has in a movie. And then there is Smith and Eva Mendes who could have set the screen on fire with their chemistry. Watching Hitch again made me wish Smith and Mendes had worked together again, perhaps in something in the style of early screwball comedy. They could have made a good team.

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