Will Smith plays a date doctor, a guy that helps out girl-shy regular joes create and make the most of opportunities to meet single women. From this character stems two parallel plots: in one, a clumsy financial adviser played by Kevin James hires his services, and boy does he need them. In the other, Smith meets a woman played by Eva Mendes and finds himself failing as miserably as his clients do.

Smith and James are funny here, and the first two thirds of the film live up to the fun, breezy romantic comedy the film promises. The trouble starts in the third act, where misunderstandings and crises pile on thick, and the movie has to go through so many laborious and contrived motions to stitch things together that it loses its charm. Comedy is best when it looks easy and remains true to human nature. Hitch ultimately fails on both counts. Still, there's enough in the first two thirds to please fans of the stars or the genre.