urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:cinema13 cinema13 cinema13 2005-03-06T07:40:44Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:cinema13:401 2005-03-06T07:40:44Z 2005-03-06T07:40:44Z Curbside Prophet - Jason Mraz Hitch was like a well crafted pop song, slickly made, and with just enough wit and intelligence to make you forget it’s a fluff movie, which its sugary sweet ending gives it away as.<br /><br />That said, not every movie has to be astonishingly intelligent or artistic, and a bit of romantic comedy never hurt anyone. Since my last movie experience was Constantine, Hitch was quite refreshing actually.<br /><br />When he was in college, Will Smith fell in love with a woman who betrayed his heart. He learnt his lesson and turned himself into the ultimate smooth talker, who can get any woman he wants at the drop of a hat. Now that he knows the ins and outs of women’s minds, what does he do? Why, he runs a consultation service for men who need help getting the attention of the women they love, of course. He’s sort of like a love superhero really, but at a hefty price, which is evidenced by his fantastic bachelor pad and the dates he brings women on.<br /><br />Those dates were what threw me off really. I mean, come on now, first the movie tries to show that women ought to let their guard down every now and then to let a nice guy in. Then Will Smith takes Eva Mendes out on a date which includes two Jet skis, an expensive bodyglove watersuit, and a private tour of Ellis island where he has a friend who’s dug up Mendes’ great-grandfather’s signature. Burn money much? <br /><br />Otherwise, the movie was very well crafted, for a romantic comedy. It’s got all the sheen in all the right spots, but what really brings it above the average romantic comedy is the cast. Will Smith takes a break his action blockbusters, and Mendes, last seen in 2 Fast 2 Furious plays the sassy workaholic journalist to a T. Kevin James, the former King of Queens, does a very charming take as Alex Brenneman: A pathetic, overweight accountant who runs to Hitch in his quest to win the heart of one of his company’s clients, rail-thin Paris Hilton/Cameron Diaz clone Allegra Cole (played by supermodel Amber Valetta).<br /><br />In the end, the movie being what it is, you can’t really expect much, and seasoned movie goers will know how it’s going to end maybe 30 minutes before anyone in the cast does. But not every movie needs to challenge or engage its viewers in that way. Remember those ads in the paper that used to say “Relax, watch a movie”? Hitch was exactly the type of movie they were talking about.