Tagline: The cure for the common man.
“No matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom. — Alex “Hitch” Hitchens
In Columbia Pictures’ sophisticated romantic comedy Hitch, Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Will Smith) is a legendary — and deliberately anonymous — New York City “date doctor” who, for a fee, has helped countless men woo the women of their dreams. While coaching Albert (Kevin James), a meek accountant who is smitten with a glamorous celebrity, Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), Hitch finally meets his match in the person of the gorgeous, whip-smart Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist who follows Allegra’s every move.
The ultimate professional bachelor, Hitch suddenly finds himself falling deliriously in love with Sara, a reporter whose biggest scoop could very well be the unmasking of Manhattan’s most famous date doctor.
In the sophisticated romantic comedy “Last First Kiss,” Will Smith stars as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens. Most men have difficulty finding love because it’s hard to be yourself when your “self” thinks you should be someone else. That’s where Hitch comes in.
As a tactical adviser who specializes in first impressions – he customizes and orchestrates a client’s first three dates – Hitch has been secretly responsible for hundreds of New York City weddings. Eva Mendes co-stars as Sara, a gossip reporter for a daily tabloid who, after a chance meeting with Hitch, finds her professional life and personal life on a collision course. She makes Hitch re-evaluate his game and teaches him that love is not a feeling, it’s an action.
Though Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s most popular and well-established superstars, a romantic heartthrob since his early days as a popular rapper and a proven comedic talent since his long-running TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” he has never starred in a big-screen romantic comedy before. It’s not for lack of trying. “We’d been searching for the right romantic comedy project for Will for years,” admits James Lassiter, the producer of Hitch and Smith’s partner in the production company Overbrook Entertainment. “It’s not as easy at it looks.
There aren’t many out there and even fewer that are any good.” Finally, Lassiter and Overbrook’s Teddy Zee found a romantic comedy screenplay by Kevin Bisch that seemed to be tailored to Smith’s considerable talents. The story involved a “date doctor,” a cool, self-assured man who, for a fee, helps shy and socially inept men approach and win over the women of their dreams. “It’s the perfect urban legend,” says Lassiter, “about a guy who is very charismatic and confident around women, so much so that he is able to teach other men how to approach the women they’ve fallen for.”
“In Hitch’s philosophy,” he continues, “it only takes three dates to illuminate the right you and appeal to the woman of your dreams.” Zee also sensed that the story had potential. “It had an unmistakable New York feel to it — hip and contemporary,” says Zee. “And it was told from the man’s point of view, which is extremely rare in romantic comedies.”
The germ of the idea came from screenwriter Kevin Bisch’s experiences in college when, after a series of dates with different women, he realized he usually wound up sitting on the edge of their beds going through photo albums. In trying to discover why these women were fixated on showing him their photo albums, Bisch says he had a revelation. “How could I be so dense? They were just killing time waiting for me to kiss them. After that I became obsessed with the minutiae of dating.”
From the first page of the script, says Smith, he knew he wanted to play Hitch. “He’s a kind of an alchemist,” says the actor. “He takes what is and transforms it into what could be. All he needs is love. When he first meets the guys, he asks them if they’re truly in love with the woman they’re trying to win, because without that, Hitch can’t help them.”
Ironically, while Hitch himself has luck with women, he has no special relationship in his own life, because he’s still wounded from a heartbreak he suffered back in college and has vowed to never open himself up to love (and hurt) again.
That sentiment struck a chord with Smith as well. “Every guy has that one girl he remembers from high school that he was in love with and she did something that tore his heart out,” Smith says. “What makes Hitch so special is that he’s made it his life’s work to make sure other men are spared that fate.”
“I think that’s what makes the character of Hitch so appealing,” says Bisch. “He’s not jaded or cynical about romance. He really believes that every guy — except himself — can meet and woo the girl of his dreams. What he’s doing is really noble and altruistic. He wants these guys to succeed and spare them the pain he endured.”
An obvious choice to direct Hitch was director Andy Tennant, who had ably displayed his romantic comedy chops in such major hits as Sweet Home Alabama and Ever After. “Andy owns this genre,” says Zee, who previously worked with Tennant on Fools Rush In. “He’s not only funny, but he brings a refreshing humanity to romantic comedies as well.”
Tennant’s films are informed by his attitude toward romance. “Basically, love is a wonderful problem we never solve,” he says. “It’s this great merry-go-round of emotions that I find endlessly fascinating.”
Hitch’s “date doctor” rules are part of a long-standing tradition regarding the game of love. “There’s a line in the movie that says it very well: ‘She wants the real you. She just doesn’t want it all at once,’” says Tennant. “What that means is that you can’t completely overwhelm someone with your emotions. It’s all about the controlled release. You have to play some of the courtship games that have been going on for centuries.”
While Hitch proves himself to be extremely successful in helping other men find love, his smooth, practiced approach doesn’t seem to work on Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), a beautiful reporter who works for a New York tabloid newspaper, leaving him stymied and intrigued.
“For the first time in his life,” says Lassiter, “Hitch has met someone who also has it all figured out and he finds that very appealing.” “It’s almost like the universe is conspiring against him,” laughs Smith, “forcing him to show Sara who he really is rather than what he thinks she wants to see.”
“Sara brings out the vulnerable, awkward geek that’s inside all of us when we approach the woman of our dreams,” observes Tennant.
Mendes, who has already made her mark in comedy and drama in such films as Out of Time, Stuck on You, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, was cast in the role, says executive producer Wink Mordaunt (Tennant’s producing partner), “because she is light-hearted, yet has a certain gravity. She has exactly the right temperament for Sara. When Hitch tries to set up dates with her and they go horribly wrong, Sara is not irritated. She’s entertained. That corresponds perfectly with Eva’s personality.”
“And she’s a brilliant actress,” adds Smith. “She’s beautiful and funny — and a lot of woman. She totally kept me on my toes.”
The opportunity to work with Smith was definitely a draw for Mendes, but it was also the appeal of Sara’s character. “Like Hitch, I fell in love with Sara, a woman who thinks she needs to keep her guard up so she can succeed as a career woman,” says Mendes. “But inside she is a hopeless romantic.”
Another actor who kept Smith on his toes was Kevin James, who is making his feature film debut as Albert Brennaman, Hitch’s new client who is sorely in need of a “date doctor’s” help. The role offered the star of the hit comedy series “The King of Queens” the opportunity to transition his talent for physical comedy to the big screen.
James’ years of television comedy training were an added plus to Smith, who honed his own talents on the successful series “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and cites such other experienced TV performers who easily made the transition to film including Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy. “When you work on television for years, you’re prepared for anything. The guys who are successful on TV are the ones who can turn it on in an instant,” Smith says. “The minute the director yells ‘Action!’ they can do something brilliant.”
Albert, James’ character in Hitch, represents “The most insecure aspect in all of us,” Smith continues. “He doesn’t wear the right clothes, he doesn’t say the right things. He’s sort of clumsy and slightly overweight.”
Yet, Albert is hopelessly in love with Allegra Cole, a beautiful socialite, who knows him only as one of her accountants. “Every guy can relate to Albert’s dilemma,” says producer Zee. “He has a dream, a yearning for something special in his life and that something special is Allegra.”
Allegra is played by Amber Valletta, the supermodel who has crossed over into acting with roles in such films as What Lies Beneath and Family Man. “It was very important that the character of Allegra be really sympathetic and vulnerable so that when Albert falls in love with her, we all fall in love with her, too,” says Zee. “Amber is one of those gifted actresses who is not only naturally beauty, but has a recognizable core of humanity that makes her accessible.”
Valletta approached the character of Allegra as a woman who is always in the spotlight, always the center of attention from everyone around her and for the press. “But at the same time Allegra is fighting to find her voice as a woman, not just the image that everyone sees,” says the actress. “Albert is not the kind of guy she’s dated or necessarily even been around, which intrigues her.”
And it is for that very reason that Hitch insists that Albert strictly adhere to his rule of holding back on his first date with Allegra. “My character is like a puppy dog,” says James. “I’d be all over the place, going crazy if I didn’t listen to Hitch and play it cool and just kind of sit back and relax.” It works like a charm. And that’s why Hitch is Hitch.
Hitch (2005)
Directed by: Andy Tennant
Starring: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Michael Rapaport, Ato Essandoh, Amber Valletta, Julie Ann Emery, Paula Patton, Navia Nguyen, Jeffrey Donovan, Robinne Lee
Screenplay by: Kevin Bisch, Jessica Bendinger, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Production Design by: Jane Musky
Cinematography by: Andrew Dunn
Film Editing by: Troy Takaki, Tracey Wadmore-Smith
Costume Design by: Marlene Stewart
Set Decoration by: Ellen Christiansen
Art Direction by: Patricia Woodbridge
Music by: George Fenton
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: February 11, 2005
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