Movie:
Men really don't have it easy sometimes. Especially when they want to conquer the heart of their dream woman and lack of self-confidence constantly puts a spoke in their wheel. But luckily there is the date doctor. Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) helps desperately in love New York men to take the first steps towards the perfect date and true love. He always remains anonymous in the background and only offers his help to men who are really serious about their lady of the heart. The success of his services proves the date doctor right. But one day Hitch has to deal with two very hard cases. On the one hand there is the somewhat clumsy accountant Albert (Kevin James), who has fallen in love with the beautiful millionaire heiress Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). A tough nut to crack, but not an impossible case for Hitch.
It looks more difficult with the second story, which gives Hitch a mighty headache. This one involves him personally, as he has his eye on the attractive and quick-witted gossip journalist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), in whose presence everything keeps going wrong for Hitch. He gives her a black eye, rips his favorite shirt, and is briefly horribly disfigured by a food allergy. But Hitch wouldn't be the Date Doctor if he didn't come up with a solution to this tough case. But then something happens that Hitch wouldn't have expected and his whole career is suddenly on the line.
At long last, "Hitch" once again brought a romantic comedy to our cinemas that is completely devoid of flat fecal humor and vulgar brute humor. Genre specialist Andy Tennant ("Fools rush in", "Sweet Home Alabama") has directed an endearing comedy that is old-fashioned in the best sense. The image of romantic New York is strongly reminiscent of typical 80s comedies like "The Secret of My Success" or "Women's Guns", the songs used and the score by George Fenton further support this nostalgic feeling. Add to that an immensely playful, likable cast that simply has great chemistry. Will Smith is simply wonderful as the romantic hero and "King of Queens"-star Kevin James as the lovesick klutz is the absolute ideal casting. The two are supported by a charming Eva Mendes and an equally charming Amber Valletta, who quite believably conveys why a woman like her can fall in love with a man like Albert, played by James.
"Hitch -the Date Doctor" is, of course, not sophisticated head-scratching cinema. Of course, all the clichés of the genre are attempted before Hitch and Sara or Albert and Allegra are finally allowed to be in each other's arms. But the whole thing is presented in such an amusing and likeable way that the viewer has a lot of fun with it. The success proves the concept right, because "Hitch" has lured more than 3 million viewers into the cinemas in Germany alone. No wonder, because the opening sequence alone, in which Hitch's work is shown through some delicious examples, compensated for the enormously high ticket prices. When Hitch desperately tries to teach Albert how to dance or when Albert tries to be cool during a phone call with Allegra, the audience is entertained in the best possible way. Who cares that the grey cells are not used and especially in the second half of the movie the cliché box is used. Because one thing is guaranteed: the Date Doctor has the best medicine against stressful everyday life and depression: just switch off and enjoy a harmless, very amusing and endearingly nostalgic comedy and have a great time! Absolutely worth seeing!!!
Picture:
Not only the plot and music of the film are reminiscent of the 80s, but also the picture quality does not really correspond to the standard of 2005. Although the contrasts are completely okay, and also at the rich colors there is little to complain about, but the sharpness of detail then leaves much to be desired. At times, the image even looks quite washed out and slight image noise can be detected here and there. Overall, this disturbs this endearing film only a little, but also allows no better judgment than "gut" for the image quality.
Sound:
ier are clearly dialogues and music in the foreground, whereby both were mixed in the German soundtrack to the fullest satisfaction of the viewer. In the English language version, the dialogues are occasionally mixed a little quieter, but for the genre, the sound is still very satisfactory and therefore also deserves a "gut"!
Extras:
Here the DVD has unfortunately quite little to offer. Besides a very funny gag reel (approx. 4 min.) and three cut scenes (one of which is just the opening credits with different music), there is also a music video for the song "I Thing" by Amerie (approx. 4 min.) and a trailer show with three trailers (including for "Spanglish" and "Seinfeld"). Furthermore, the bonus program offers five short featurettes, which are very entertaining, but unfortunately remain quite superficial.
The most amusing short documentary shows the "development of the dance scene" (approx. 8 min.), with it being particularly amusing to watch Kevin James improvise over his shoulder and Will Smith frantically trying to keep as serious a countenance as possible - though he doesn't always succeed. Why Andy Tennant chose New York as the location for his film is revealed in "A Love in New York" (approx. 7 min.), while "Hitch Style" (approx. 6 min.) sheds light on the actors' outfits. In "The Date Experts" (approx. 11 min.) just such people have their say and Will Smith's record in premiere appearances (three within 12 hours) is then dedicated to the last featurettes (approx. 3 min.). But the funniest extra is not found in the bonus program, but under the language selection. Here it is really worthwhile to select the Polish soundtrack. There, the translation is spoken by a single speaker relatively bored over the original English sound. Those who always like to complain about the dubbing work in Germany will never complain again after this very special experience - because this voice-over technique completely destroys the enjoyment of the film. However, a one-time listen into this soundtrack is really highly recommended since immensely amusing! Give it a try!!!
Conclusion:
"Hitch - The Date Doctor" is simply an endearing film, which spreads real "Feel Good" atmosphere with likeable actors and a pleasantly old-fashioned humor. The fact that the DVD is not quite convincing technically and that the extras don't exactly blow you away is therefore only a minor matter. Either way, this film simply belongs in every good DVD collection.
Original title: Hitch
Director: Andy Tennant
Number of discs: 1
Languages: German, English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Polish (Voice Over, Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: German, English, Polish, Turkish
Image Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Extras: Featurettes, Gag Reel, Cut Scenes, Music Video, Trailer
FSK: o.A.
Length: approx. 113 min.
Regional Code: 2
