Hitch
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Andy Tennant
Produced by	James Lassiter Will Smith Teddy Zee
Written by	Kevin Bisch
Starring	Will Smith Eva Mendes Kevin James Amber Valletta
Music by	George Fenton Alan Elliott
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Editing by	Troy Takaki Tracey Wadmore-Smoth
Studio	Overbrook Entertainment
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	February 10, 2005 (2005-02-10) (Puerto Rico) February 11, 2005 (2005-02-11) (United States)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70 million
Box office	$368,100,420[1]

Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women. It was released on February 11, 2005 by Columbia Pictures.

  Plot summary

Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) is a professional "date doctor" who coaches other men in the art of wooing women.

While coaching one of his clients, Albert Brennaman (Kevin James), who is smitten with his boss, celebrity Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), Hitch finds himself falling for Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist who is determined to unmask and ruin the so-called date doctor after one of his "clients" (whom Hitch had refused to work with, unknown to Sara) had a one-night stand with her best friend. However, where Albert and Allegra's relationship continues to progress, Hitch finds that none of his tried and tested methods are working on himself, despite being a master of the art. After Hitch is unmasked, he and Sara break up, and Allegra and Albert follow soon. Finally, Hitch confronts Allegra and convinces her to reunite with Albert, before reconciling with Sara. In the process, he makes the startling discovery that he doesn't really do anything significant besides giving confidence to his clients, and that most of his customers (particularly Albert) really were successful by just being themselves.

  Cast

• Will Smith as Alex "Hitch" Hitchens
• Eva Mendes as Sara Melas
• Kevin James as Albert Brennaman
• Amber Valletta as Allegra Cole
• Julie Ann Emery as Casey Sedgewick
• Adam Arkin as Max
• Robinne Lee as Cressida Baylor
• Nathan Lee Graham as Geoff
• Michael Rapaport as Ben
• Jeffrey Donovan as Vance Munson
• Paula Patton as Mandy

  Production

The production budget was $70,000,000. Smith alleged that actress Eva Mendes, a Latina, was offered the female lead because the producers were worried about the public's reaction if the part was played by a White actress (creating a potential interracial taboo) or a Black actress (creating a studio fear that two black leads would alienate the white audiences). It was believed that a Latina and a Black lead would sidestep the issue.^[2] Robinne Lee's character (Cressida) was originally offered to Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, but she could not take it due to scheduling conflicts.^[3] The working title of the movie was The Last First Kiss, referring to a line that Hitch delivers to Albert: "This could be her last first kiss". Parts of the movie were filmed in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, at Columbia University, at Ellis Island, in the Fulton Fish Market, at the Wall Street Bull and the North Cove Marina.

  Home video release

The DVD release was released by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and was one of the first films to employ Sony's ARccOS Protection copy protection. The film is also available on UMD (Universal Media Disc) for the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable).

  Reception

Hitch currently holds a 69% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[4]

  See also

• Chhoti Si Baat — A 1975 Bollywood film noted for sharing similar plot elements.^[5]
• Partner — A 2007 Bollywood film inspired by Hitch, starring Salman Khan and Govinda.
• Cyrano de Bergerac

  References

  External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Hitch

• Official website
• Hitch at the Internet Movie Database
• Hitch at AllRovi
• Hitch at Rotten Tomatoes
• Hitch at Box Office Mojo