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Smith plays the title noun, a high-priced relationship consultant who teaches men how to behave on dates. This Date Doctor doesn't advertise and he dare not tell a woman what he really does for a living. Mind you, Hitch is no sleaze merchant, as evidenced when he refuses to help an obnoxious player who just wants to get laid. Well-versed in the mysterious courtship rituals of the human female, Hitch councils men on how to make the women they love, love them back.

Hitch's most challenging case (his Sistine Chapel, he calls it) is corpulent accountant Albert (Kevin James), who's fallen for client Allegra (Amber Valletta), a beautiful socialite/heiress/celebrity/not really sure what. Cole's nightlife is fodder for tabloid reporter Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), the very same Sara Melas whom Hitch met at a bar and now has the hots for. Of course, Hitch can dish out high-priced advice, but he finds it harder to practice what he preaches when pursuing Sara. Their first two dates, including a jetski trip to Ellis Island , end in humorously disastrous fashion. So Hitch's challenge is getting Allegra to fall in love with Albert, while getting the increasingly suspicious Sara to fall in love with him.

Freshman screenwriter Kevin Bisch's script has problems that director Andy Tennant ( Ever After ) should have protected him from. Passages are too wordy and some scenes go on multiple beats too long. Not content to be cute, the film must be super fabulous cute, as lines are delivered with maximum chirpiness. Considering there's only two main storylines, the movie still manages to clock in at 116 minutes. The movie is too long for the story it's trying to tell.

Such vices would sink any romantic comedy. But Hitch refuses to end until it wins you over, and eventually it does both. Most of the credit goes to Smith, whose reservoir of charm and watchability is bottomless. Here he effortlessly carries the movie. Sitcom star Kevin James makes a terrifically funny second-banana, getting laughs from his general befuddlement, as well as some good physical comedy. There are plenty of solid chuckles and a light, sophisticated sheen that sets the proper tone. Excellent Manhattan locations ground the film nicely, while still allowing room for a fairy tale quality to emerge.

Thanks to careful tending and Smith's likeability, the Hitch character is able to emerge on the winning side of getting laid versus falling in love. His moral ground is stable enough that female audiences will not be offended. In fact, most women will smile knowingly at the concept of institutionalized male cluelessness. Come to think of it, if there is a real life Hitch out there, you can contact me c/o this website.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

This 2.40 Anamorphic transfer is garish. Granted, it'll probably satisfy Saturday night rental buffs, but serious videophiles may want to avert their eyes. The picture is so bright that fine details flatten out, like staring into the sun. The brightness also leads to some stair stepping and edge halos. The color palette is wide, but many hues have an artificial sheen to them. Daytime interiors look the best, with colors that are nicely saturated. Nighttime exteriors have more grain then they should for such a new and high-budget film. Nighttime interiors are also grainy, with blacks that look crushed. Also, the picture is soft. Otherwise, it's a great, great transfer. Oh, and the picture is really bright. Otherwise, it's a very enjoyable transfer.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track fares better. The mix is very active, with music, dialogue and ambient sounds all smoothly integrated. Dialogue sounds very clean, but some of it sounds thin. I also noticed a bit of hiss. The music features deep bass and confident use of the surrounds and the sides. Ambient sounds like echoes and street noise sound very nice. The moment where Albert spills the marbles on the floor surprised me as the sound spread all around the soundscape. Good work here.

Also available are English and French subtitles and French mix.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The extras are geared towards the rental crowd, meaning just enough to entertain the viewer for the weekend, but hardly good enough to warrant a purchase.

It makes sense that a movie too long has only three deleted scenes . Each scene is introduced by someone I'll assume is director Andy Tennant ( Ever After ), even though he doesn't introduce himself and he's not mentioned in the menu system. The first cut scene beefs up the character of Cressida, a former flame of Hitch. Although Tennant says the actress playing Cressida was fine, the character was superfluous. The second scene (which doesn't contain a Tennant comment) continues the date between Hitch and Sara at Ellis Island . The final deleted scene includes an audio commentary by Tennant and it replaces the opening needledrop music with a George Fenton cue. This one's interesting for movie music fans like myself. The video quality on these clips is excellent,

Five featurettes zero in on a specific aspect of the production. Dance Steps Made Easy delves into the nerdy dance moves that Kevin James' character attempts. There's good on-set footage and standard- issue interviews with Smith and James. Love in New York teaches us what it's like to shoot in Manhattan . There are also trivia bubbles that provide extra information. The third featurette is Hitch Style , in which costume designer Marlene Stewart discusses conveying Hitch's style via his high-fashion clothing. Next is The Dating Experts , in which psychiatry professor Georgia Witkin explains that she was hired to read the script and confirm that the characters' behavior was consistent with what she knows about relationships. A bunch of dating experts and life coaches weight in with their expertise. This is the best of these five featurettes. Finally, there is Will Smith's Red Carpet Race , in which Smith tries to break the Guinness World Record for the most public appearances in 12 hours by a film star. The piece starts with his first stop in Manchester , England and ends with Smith accepting the Guinness plaque for his achievement. I'll rarely say this about a DVD featurette, but this one could have been longer. It's less than four minutes.

Next is a five-minute gag reel . I'm beginning to realize that a gag reel is a gag reel is a gag reel. Actor screws up line. Actor smiles and swears. Crew laughs uproariously. Next. Here we have Will Smith and Kevin James filling their gag reel responsibilities. Video quality is excellent.

Finally, there is a music video from someone named Amerie and 13 trailers and DVD promos , including the new big-screen Bewitched and Jon Favreau's space adventure Zathura.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD. Final Thoughts