Hitch (film)
Encyclopedia
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
.
) 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 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.
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. Robinne Lee
's character (Cressida) was originally offered to Bollywood
actress Aishwarya Rai
, but she could not take it due to scheduling conflicts. 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.
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)
.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Andy Tennant
Andy Tennant
Andy Tennant is an American screenwriter, film and television director, and dancer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Tennant was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father was Don Tennant, a legendary creative advertising talent with Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago...
and starring Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...
, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta
Amber Valletta
Amber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
. 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
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Plot summary
Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will SmithWill Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
) 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 celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta
Amber Valletta
Amber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
), Hitch finds himself falling for Sara Melas (Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...
), 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
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
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 SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
as Alex "Hitch" Hitchens - Eva MendesEva MendesEva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...
as Sara Melas - Kevin James as Albert Brennaman
- Amber VallettaAmber VallettaAmber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
as Allegra Cole - Julie Ann EmeryJulie Ann EmeryJulie Ann Emery, born and raised in Crossville, Tennessee, is a theatre, television and film actress. She attended Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, Missouri, where she studied acting. She began her career at the age of 16 on the theatrical stage and has appeared in several productions, such as A...
as Casey Sedgewick - Adam ArkinAdam ArkinAdam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award...
as Max - Robinne LeeRobinne LeeRobinne Lee is an American actress. She appeared in Hotel for Dogs with Don Cheadle and Emma Roberts and with Will Smith in Seven Pounds.-Life and career:...
as Cressida Baylor - Nathan Lee GrahamNathan Lee GrahamNathan Lee Graham is an American cabaret artist, stage, television and film actor, singer, writer and director. His roles in feature film include Todd in Zoolander, Frederick Montana in Sweet Home Alabama and Geoff in Hitch. He has appeared in independent films like Confessions of an Action Star,...
as Geoff - Michael RapaportMichael RapaportMichael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
as Ben - Jeffrey DonovanJeffrey DonovanJeffrey Donovan is an American television, film and stage actor. He plays the lead Michael Westen on the American cable television series, Burn Notice. Notable starring roles in film include: Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in Clint...
as Vance Munson - Paula PattonPaula PattonPaula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
as Mandy
Production
The production budget was $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
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
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
actress (creating a potential interracial taboo) or a Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
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. Robinne Lee
Robinne Lee
Robinne Lee is an American actress. She appeared in Hotel for Dogs with Don Cheadle and Emma Roberts and with Will Smith in Seven Pounds.-Life and career:...
's character (Cressida) was originally offered to Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actress Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, but she could not take it due to scheduling conflicts. 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
Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Morningside Heights is a neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and is chiefly known as the home of institutions such as Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, Bank Street College of Education, the Cathedral of Saint John the...
, at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
, in the Fulton Fish Market
Fulton Fish Market
The Fulton Fish Market is a fish market in The Bronx, New York, United States. It was originally a wing of the Fulton Market, established in 1822 to sell a variety of foodstuffs and produce...
, at the Wall Street Bull and the North Cove Marina.
Home video release
The DVD release was released by Columbia TriStar Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
and was one of the first films to employ Sony's ARccOS Protection
ARccOS Protection
ARccOS is a copy-protection system made by Sony that is used on some DVDs. Designed as an additional layer to be used in conjunction with Content Scramble System , the system deliberately creates corrupted sectors on the DVD, which cause copying software to produce errors .Despite being promoted...
copy protection. The film is also available on UMD (Universal Media Disc)
Universal Media Disc
The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...
for the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable)
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
See also
- Chhoti Si BaatChhoti Si BaatChhoti Si Baat is a 1975 Hindi romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film's title means "Small Talk" in Hindi. Considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky take on pre-hypercongestion Bombay...
- A 1975 BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film noted for sharing similar plot elements. - Partner - A 2007 BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film starring Salman KhanSalman KhanSalman Khan is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha in a lead role, had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , for which he won a Filmfare Award for...
and GovindaGovinda' and ' are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme Godhead in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition...
in which film directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
David DhawanDavid DhawanDavid Dhawan is an Indian film director. He has studied at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.-Career:Dhawan started off as an editor and then took the plunge into directing...
said he was inspired by Hitch but ended up making a scene to scene to copy of it. - Cyrano de Bergerac (play)Cyrano de Bergerac (play)Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....