Hitch

For so many reasons, Will Smith is currently the king of Hollywood. He's the king of comedy, hip-hop, adventure films and now romances. He could aptly be called the most self-confident man alive, and he's done it all under the persona of all-around nice guy and family man. It's very clever. I wish him the longest reign, as I am as rapt in his spell as the rest of the country. (Besides, he should also be crowned the sexiest man alive, knocking Denzel from that top spot.) So, it's charming to finally see him using all of his talents in one film, even one so sweetly dopey as this. Smith stars as the title character, essentially a dating counselor, who helps men get the girls of their dreams and hold onto them. Of course, he falls for someone himself (Eva Mendes), makes an utter mess of it, naturally, and you can guess the ending. Why watch it? Well, why wouldn't you watch the king? His over-abundant charm, his willingness to do anything for comedic effect (witness the food-allergy scene, which I dare you not to laugh out loud at). And his excellently chosen co-stars (among whom Kevin James plays a worthy comedic adversary as the main hapless dater) and the general ambience. Race, age and size issues abound, but are thankfully completely ignored, rare in a comedy rife with opportunities for such jokes. This is, literally, a film for everyone so ignore the silly ending and enjoy.

year: 2005
length: 118 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386588/combined