Hitch
★★★ 1/2
Hitch is a very comfortable movie to wrap around yourself. Will Smith's date doctor sets the tone early on in the movie by breaking the fourth wall and welcomes the audience in with a charming bravado and laid back style. You quickly know what you are in for. Hitch is a pleasant, but not too deep movie with a lot of gags that really work at times or fall really flat.
At times I found the dialogue quite engaging and intellectual. There is a rhythmic pattern between Smith and Eva Mendes that is very natural and smooth. It's hard to picture other actors in these roles because their chemistry seems so innate. It's hard to find an actress that can match the charisma of Smith and Mendes is more than up to the challenge.
I'm torn about how I feel about Kevin James. At times I feel like his over-the-top goofiness in this film is far from endearing but then there are other moments where his antics really work. The dancing scene comes to mind. He and Smith play well off of each other, but the term brother is used between the characters at one point, and I never quite felt that bond.
Like a lot of rom-coms, the plot becomes so farfetched that it takes you completely out of the movie, but other times Hitch has a wit and even a darkness about the humor that sucks you back in. Like the main character, Hitch is trying to even the playing field where all can enjoy the story, even though it plays it too safe at times.
