Smith gets 'Jiggy With It' in romantic comedy

The funny thing about love is how different people like to experience it. Some people want it to happen fast, and others try to make it slow way down. Still other poor souls don't know how they like it, and by the time they've discovered their strategy isn't working, it's too late to fix the problem.\nUnfortunately, this is the case for "Hitch," a semi-romantic comedy about what happens when an exclusive dating consultant finds himself chasing after a woman who is immune to the special talents he has built his business on. Too bad the middle of the movie slows down too much to make you fall in love with it.\nThe film starts out at a quick and intriguing enough pace. Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) provides the viewer with what is maybe the best direct-to-audience narration since "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," giving the audience a brief but humorous introductory tour into the world of the idealist date doctor. \nWe see his friendly but relationship-challenged clients hooking up with the women of their dreams ... with a little help. At the same time, we meet the cynical gossip columnist Sara (Eva Mendes), who is the kind of woman whose idea of a good time is to shoot date-seekers down. Unlike Hitch, she does not believe in the power of true love and makes it a point to avoid romance.\nTruly, this is a match made in heaven. With the smooth and speedy aura that comes to characterize the first half of the movie, Hitch somehow counters Sara's sarcastic reproaches into a cool pick-up tactic, and the relationship begins.\nThe chemistry between Smith and Mendes becomes the highlight of the movie. It's formulaic, but a toned-down Smith makes it fun. His advances and her reactions become an elaborate fencing match that's not too over-the-top, and it's easy to want the couple to hook up.\nSadly, the entire movie comes to a standstill once the initial flirtations end. Conflicts arise when Sara decides to pursue the mysterious Hitch as a subject for her tabloid newspaper. This is not an entirely surprising twist for this kind of movie, but the idea that Hitch makes a living off making people fall in love puts the couple into an interesting stalemate.\nUnfortunately, this stalemate lasts for almost the rest of the show. A weak, tacked-on resolution proves to fall short of meeting the movie's beginning momentum. The result is an almost torturous period of watching two characters we no longer care about try to work through their differences. "Hitch" will provide a witty flair to a late Valentine's date, but it might be best to wait until next Valentine's Day, when it's on video.