If you see that Kevin James is featured in a movie, your usual instinct would be to run away. However, there are two exceptions to that particular instinct, Paul Blart Mall Cop and Hitch.
Romantic Comedies starring Will Smith aren’t the best at all, though out of his long-standing career, he’s done two romantic comedies which I will gladly call some of the best films in the genre after the turn of the century. Hitch is a film that relies entirely on Smith and James’ comedic timing, but it also has a unique enough plot to hook audiences in!
How to Stream or Download Hitch
You can stream it or you can download Hitch from a number of digital stores. Click on the Download button that you will find located below this review. If you like Will Smith, check out also his other movies, for example – Men in Black, Suicide Squad, or Aladdin.
The Movie Review
In the world of dating, many men are trying their hardest to find someone to love, and yet they simply are unable to. In reality, though, you don’t really need to have that problem, because an incredibly popular and highly effective Dating Expert named Hitch will be there to help you!
This date doctor coaches young men in the art of wooing women, so he can help them find long-term relationships! However, one of his clients Albert Brennaman hopes to make a popular celebrity fall in love with him, which is going to be a hard task, even for Hitch!
I’ve recently found out that Hitch also had a Bollywood copy of it made, it was called Partner and starred some big Bollywood names within it. Though, as terrible as that copy is, Hitch isn’t any better when it comes to its comedy. Hitch is a simple film, going from point A to point Z in a linear manner.
However, the thing that should have made it stand out was supposed to be the comedy which does not hit well. Kevin James is surprisingly quite great here and so is Will Smith, though their writing just doesn’t seem to be good enough to make audiences laugh.
On the other hand, though, the romance and the emotional moments in this film are kind of close to perfection. The film doesn’t over-dramatize the romance and instead chooses to deliver more of a somber and lovable take on the genre.
It’s a unique thing to find in a romantic comedy film because those films are usually the most over-dramatized of them all. It’s handled quite gracefully here, and it is further elevated by the caliber of acting that Will Smith brings to the table in this film.
Will Smith is a national treasure, the man is undoubtedly one of the best actors in the world and he can definitely up his ante when portraying roles that require that emotionality.
His work in Hitch is definitely one of his better performances because he brings warmth and responsibility to this character who is very damaged. Kevin James doesn’t do much in that regard, but he’s funny here and his character is likable which is a huge deal for him in general as an actor.
I do not like the cinematography for this film, though it’s still leagues ahead of most romantic comedies from the 2000s. These films usually had the same warm color grading and boring actors featured in depressing-looking sets. There’s no such thing like that in Hitch, this is a colorful and realistic depiction of the events showcased, albeit in a comedic manner for sure, and that works quite effectively for this film in particular as it relies heavily on its characters and the way they are developed throughout the whole story.
The Bottom Line
I believe that Hitch has all the right things going for it but just misses out slightly due to some directorial issues. Andy Tennant did a wonderful job with this film’s design, though the issues persist due to it being quite fundamentally a studio film. It lacks a lot of passion in its development and that is quite visible here.
If this film was produced by people who had more love for the story and the product. However, even in its current state, Hitch is, by far, way superior product to most romantic comedies.
