"Because that's what people do. They leap and hope to God they can fly. 'Cos if not, they're just gonna drop like a rock, wondering the whole way down 'why in the hell did I jump?' So, here I am, falling, and the only one that can make me feel like I can fly, is you."
- Alex Hitchens, Hitch

Hitch was a nice, sweet movie. If the main character, Alex Hitchens, had been played by anyone other than Will Smith, this movie would most likely have bombed. But thanks to Will's charismatic performance, this show, in spite of its unlikely plot and almost-too-clever tagline, doesn't come off too badly.

Will's wide grin and charming good looks are put to good use here, and though he plays the kind of smooth-talking guy girls both love and despise, he does earn the viewer's sympathy. Yes, he's a date doctor. He helps men get the girl of their dreams, through what some might consider as deceitful means. Still, because he's a discerning consultant, only helping out those whose intentions are honourable, and because he knows all too well that leaving everything to fate and chance means that in spite of a client's target's protests that she "would have noticed him" without Hitch's help, she admits "eventually... maybe", we applaud him.

Kevin James (King of Queens), as the adorable goofball, Albert, is funny in a dorky, yet not slapstick way. He's in love with Allegra (Amber Valleta), a gorgeous heiress, and declares this in an endearingly sweet speech, telling Hitch that every morning, he wakes up in pain because she's with someone else, yet he hopes that she finds happiness even if it's not with him. The scenes where Hitch is instructing him on what to do (all of which are in the trailer), such as when Allegra gives him her number, when Hitch is teaching Albert how to dance (which has made me reconsider whether I really want a guy who likes to dance) are hilarious. The chemistry between these two is great, and worth seeing the movie for.

The chemistry between Hitch's love interest, Sara (Eva Mendes), and Hitch on the other hand is almost non-existent. I almost couldn't stand Sara, even as I thought, "whoa, girl, Sara is me." A workaholic who doesn't have time for a boyfriend because her career is her main priority (so she maintains), she's wary about falling in love, because she expects men to let her down. She's described by Hitch as being "a realist, masquerading as a cynic, who is secretly an optimist." These are all things I've said and thought about myself before, so I was quite startled. In any case, I suppose we're meant to feel sorry for Sara, and maybe I almost did, but because of her highhandedness in getting revenge for her friend without bothering to find out the facts... I just couldn't take it.

In any case, Hitch ends on a happy note, as do all romantic movies. And the brilliantly painful dance scene at the end when the characters get down in a dance-off to Heavy D's "Now That We've Found Love" is incredibly funny. And as the Washington Post says, "if you still don't believe a guy like James could get a gal like Valletta, you will once you see them doing the robot together."

Memorable Quotes
Warning: Some are incredibly cheesy, but they made me go, "awww..." so there. The tie for my favourite line is between Albert's (see below) and Hitch's speech to Sara (right at the top of this entry).

Albert: You know what it’s like getting up every morning? Feeling hopeless, feeling like the love of your life is waking up with the wrong man. But, at the same time hoping that she still finds happiness, even if it’s never going to be with you.

Hitch: Here's to lying, stealing, cheating, and drinking. If you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you drink, drink to the moments that take your breath away.

Hitch: No woman wakes up thinking, "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today."

Hitch: Life isn't about how many breaths you take; it's about how many moments leave you breathless.

Hitch: One day you're living your life, the next, you don't know how you lived without them.