Hitch

Letting go his action-hero persona, Will Smith's winning way with clever come-ons and witty rejoinders serves as the pulse of this bright and sharp-witted--if predictable--romantic comedy about a matchmaker who coaches lovestruck schmendricks in the wooing of otherwise unattainable girls of their dreams. Director Andy Tennant's smarter-than-average crowd-pleaser revolves around two archetypal love stories told with amusingly atypical details: as Hitch, Smith helps a hapless, nebbish nice-guy accountant (The King of Queens' Kevin James) who has fallen for an out-of-his-league heiress (ex-model Amber Valletta). Meanwhile, Hitch's own practiced smoothness backfires when he meets a cheeky, confident, fun-loving, resolutely single tabloid reporter (Eva Mendes) who is bent on exposing the mysterious so-called "date doctor," not realizing he's her new beau. Mendes (Out of Time) and Smith have a teasing, irresistible, almost Howard-Hawkesian chemistry, and the stout, tongue-tied James and the slinky-sweet Valletta complement each other as well. Contrived episodes do rear their ugly heads from time to time, preventing Hitch from being a truly original guy-centric romantic comedy, but almost every scene is seasoned with subtle character flourishes and the film produces consistent smiles. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include the featurettes “Dance Steps Made Easy” on the dance scene (8 min.), “Love in New York” about NYC (7 min.), “Hitch Style” on wardrobe (7 min.), “The Dating Experts” (12 min.), and “Will Smith's Red Carpet Race” which landed Smith into the Guinness Book of World Records for consecutive red carpet strolls (4 min.), three deleted scenes (15 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), the music video “1 Thing” by Amerie, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning comedy.] (R. Blackwelder)