Hitch

Starring: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Robinne Lee, Julie Ann Emery

Directed by: Andy Tennant

RS: 2of 4 Stars

2005 Sony Pictures Comedy

Will Smith has an easy charm, and this labored romantic farce works it hard. Too hard. Smith plays Hitch, the Manhattan date doctor who turns nerds into Romeos. Hitch knows all the angles. So does Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), the gossip writer he hits on. If you can't see what's coming, welcome to your first movie. Director Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama) can't do much with a padded script that has Hitch training a chubby exec (Kevin James) to woo a hottie heiress (Amber Valetta). Smith and sexy Mendes spar nicely, but they don't spark. In movies, that's the kiss of death.