In this agreeable if not exactly good romantic comedy, Will Smith, who also produced the film, plays Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, "the date doctor," the guy who losers like myself go to for advice on how to win the girl of their dreams. He's suave, handsome, and articulate; he can fix your wardrobe, your pickup lines, and your approach. He prescribes a strict set of acceptable activities that are designed to keep his clients from getting in their own way. A lot of critics have implied—led on, no doubt, by the trailer—that Hitch's own romantic life is a shambles, that he cannot follow his own advice. But this isn't true. Sure, he doesn't have long-term relationships, but it certainly doesn't keep him from making a good first impression, and he seems to have had a long and varied career as a serial dater.

Hitch's latest client is the hapless Albert (Kevin James), a pudgy accountant who has an impossible crush on Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), a beautiful heiress who usually hangs out with rock stars and other millionaires. Kevin's one of those guys whose clothes are always rumpled, who always has ketchup on his tie, and who wears white socks with dress pants that are too short by a few inches. He's the ultimate test of the date doctor's powers, and Hitch takes his case as a challenge. James is a distillation of everything that Hitch has dedicated himself to overcoming, so there's no surprise when the two of them hit it off.

And therein lies the main strength of the film. Smith and James have a natural chemistry, much stronger than the chemistry between either of the romantic couples in the film. The scenes where Smith trains James not to be a danger to himself or others, despite the fact that most of them were given away in the trailer, are still funny. His chemistry with his object of affection, Eva Mendes, is acceptable, because he's the kind of guy who would click with someone in a coma. It's shocking to me that this is Will Smith's first romantic comedy. He's so genial, easygoing, witty and handsome, that I could have sworn that I remembered him being in some before this. But no, this is his first. I hope it doesn't end up being his best.

Things look bright for most of the film's overlong running time. Hitch is attracted to Sara (Eva Mendes), a cynical gossip columnist. Their meet-cute is one of the most clever in recent film history: as Hitch plans on approaching her in a bar, a clueless dude moves in on her, and Hitch suavely rescues her while dissecting what the other guy did wrong. She's intrigued, and she accepts his invitation for an unusual date that culminates in a disastrous visit to Ellis Island. Despite the problems, the two are obviously a good match for each other. Meanwhile, against all logic, Albert and Allegra have hit it off. But there's trouble on the horizon, as there always is.

This could have been a good movie, but it missed the mark. It spoils an interesting premise and loses its momentum too early; it's out of steam by the time the seemingly God-ordained misunderstanding occurs. You know that misunderstanding, the one that throws a barrier between our photogenic leads, the kind of misunderstanding that any ordinary person would clear up with a few words worth of explanation—but in the movies, explanation is verboten, because the romance isn't worth our time unless it can weather a little storm, even if that storm is glaringly stupid. I suppose this would be considered a "comedy of remarriage," to quote the title of a book by Stanley Cavell that I haven't read but probably should; without the breakup, there's no "re-" in "remarriage." I just wish it wasn't the usual story of the woman jumping to conclusions; Hitch comes out clean, and I want to know why the movie couldn't have had him be responsible for the mixup. But I'm being too cynical by half, I know. This movie achieves what it set out to achieve for its intended audience, which doesn't really include me.