Hitch

Directed by Andy Tennant, Hitch follows Will Smith’s Alex Hitchens as he attempts to help a schlub (Kevin James’ Albert Brennaman) land a date with a rich heiress (Amber Valletta’s Allegra Cole) – with complications ensuing after Alex finds himself falling for a street-smart reporter (Eva Mendes’ Sara Melas). It’s a romcom-friendly premise that is, at the outset, employed to pervasively agreeable effect by Tennant, as the filmmaker, armed with Kevin Bisch’s screenplay, delivers a breezy, briskly-paced endeavor that benefits from its appealing storyline and raft of personable performances – with, in terms of the latter, Smith’s effortlessly charming turn matched by costars James and Mendes (as well as eclectic periphery players like Jeffrey Donovan and Philip Bosco). There’s little doubt, then, that Hitch‘s overall impact is significantly dulled by a second half that peters out to an almost shocking extent, as the movie, saddled with a ludicrous 118 minute running time, progresses into a tedious, tiresome third act that’s weighed down by not one but two needless fake breakups – with the ineffectiveness of this third-act stretch, in addition to virtually cancelling out the entertaining bent of everything preceding it, ensuring that the movie concludes on as underwhelming (and disappointing) a note as one could envision. The end result is a romantic comedy that ultimately feels like it should be so much better, which is a shame, certainly, given the potential afforded by its tremendously engaging first half.

** out of ****