'Hitch' not as smooth as he thinks

By The Associated Press

Will Smith waited a long time to bring his charisma to a romantic comedy. He should have waited longer, at least until the hitches were ironed out of "Hitch," a cute trifle that had all the ingredients to be a great date flick.

"Hitch" offers a few laughs and the smarter-than-average romantic exchange between Smith and co-star Eva Mendes before veering into a foolish plot conflict that chokes off whatever goodwill the movie built up in its first half.

With no notion of where to take the story, director Andy Tennant ("Sweet Home Alabama") and first-time screenwriter Kevin Bisch let "Hitch" meander to tiresome lengths and stumble through a sappy conclusion that drags on interminably.

Playing a Manhattan "date doctor" helping hopeless men snare women of their dreams, Smith's charm carries the movie much of the way, buoyed by scene-stealing moments from Kevin James as a lovelorn accountant.

Smith's Alex "Hitch" Hitchens is a master at hooking up geeks with mates seemingly light years out of their reach.

Hitch only takes on men who will treat a woman like a queen. And while he does coach his pupils through Cyrano de Bergerac-like pretense, there is no malicious deceit involved. Hitch simply opens the door to possibilities and counts on the essential goodness of his disciples to seal the deal.

For all his optimism on others' behalf, Hitch has closed himself off to the prospect of romance because of a painful love affair years earlier. An awkward flashback presents the story, which lacks conviction as to why such a self-assured man cannot rebound from a garden-variety heartbreak.

When Hitch finally meets his dream woman, gossip columnist Sara (Mendes), she turns out to be as cynical about personal romance as he. Hitch's ploys to catch Sara's eye, and the calamitous first date he plans, offer some brightly refreshing moments in the tired boy-meets-girl genre.

The movie loses momentum as "Hitch" begins to wallow in superficial romantic mush. And rather than letting the story develop from Hitch and Sara's innate resistance to intimacy, the filmmakers forcibly inject dramatic friction by creating professional discord between the lovers.

After this clunky artifice, Hitch and Sara's relationship becomes antic-oriented, devolving into slapstick during the finale.

Far more engaging is the romance involving Hitch's client Albert ("King of Queens" star James), a meek, tubby accountant smitten by beautiful heiress Allegra (Amber Valletta).

James displays wonderful flair for broad physical comedy while instilling depth and pathos into a character that on the page would read as a one-dimensional loser. Valletta makes Amber's passion for this portly nobody believable; as Sara observes while spying on them at a Knicks game, Albert and Amber are adorable together.

"Hitch" makes fine use of New York settings, including Ellis Island, trendy lower Manhattan and the Hudson River waterfront.

"Hitch" is a shaky transition from action movies to love stories for Smith when he's outshone by both his surroundings and a pudgy bean-counter.

"Hitch," released by Sony's Columbia Pictures, is rated PG-13. â˜...â˜...✩✩