Dance lessons and first date; Albert attacking Hitch; opening principles; bar; jet skis; wedding.
All major set pieces are retained, with the dance-advice sequence receiving the strongest consensus.
In the discussion (26)
- The opening montage of Hitch’s principles is proposed.
- The broom metaphor is accepted as fine.
- The claim that communication is 30 percent tone and 60 percent body language is doubted.
- The rule that a woman’s best friend must approve is endorsed and debated through personal examples.
- The bar conversation and flashback are proposed.
- Michael Rapaport’s single-scene role and unclear brother-in-law connection are separate observations about the bar sequence.
- The Paula Patton bar appearance and her star potential receive extended praise.
- Albert quitting in the boardroom while Hitch coaches from behind a door is proposed.
- Hitch rescuing Eva Mendes’s character from Chip is proposed as a classic smooth entrance.
- The walkie-talkie invitation is proposed.
- The Sunday timing is praised as a calculated way around Friday and Saturday refusal.
- Hitch is said to use the walkie-talkie partly because Sara’s coworkers will hear and react.
- The Hudson River jet-ski portion of the date is proposed.
- The Ellis Island reveal is proposed for its surprising butcher joke and Hitch’s planning failure.
- The early dance montage is proposed.
- The allergy scene is proposed; later, the food-allergy material is said not to work.
- Albert’s Knicks date and attempted kiss are proposed.
- The apartment food fight is proposed.
- The food fight is separately criticized as aggression that would not play the same way now.
- Speed dating is proposed.
- A reported post-pandemic speed-dating resurgence undercuts the idea that the activity is purely a 2005 relic.
- Will Smith and Eva Mendes are compared to two hot aliens placed among the speed-dating losers.
- Hitch pleading for Albert on Allegra’s boat is proposed.
- The wedding and end-credit dancing are proposed.
- Hitch pleading Albert’s case before Albert attacks him is selected as the funniest moment.
- The dance lesson intercut with Albert’s first date is the consensus selection.
Jet skis on the Hudson River.
The New York imagery is praised as fresh and post-9/11 restorative.
In the discussion (1)
- The Hudson River jet-ski sequence is selected for its view of New York.
Stephon Marbury at a Knicks game; a thriving gossip tabloid; Michael Rapaport as the rom-com buddy.
Dating across large attractiveness gaps and Rapaport’s reduced role are additional period markers.
In the discussion (3)
- Stephon Marbury in a Knicks uniform is selected.
- Michael Rapaport as the rom-com friend is proposed.
- Men being coached to pursue women presented as far out of their league is proposed as a mid-2000s dynamic.
Jeffrey Donovan; Hitch’s respectful advice; teaching people to interact; camera phones.
The walkie-talkie gambit and intentionally corny aphorisms receive divided reactions.
In the discussion (6)
- Jeffrey Donovan appearing in a romantic comedy is praised.
- The walkie-talkie trick is praised even while acknowledged as implausible now.
- The lie-steal-cheat-drink aphorism is enjoyed as intentional corniness by one side and rejected by another.
- Camera phones are praised for becoming vastly more capable.
- A movie about teaching isolated people to interact is judged more relevant now.
- Hitch’s advice is praised for respecting women and countering hostile dating ideology.
Hitch.
The working title The Last First Kiss is rejected.
In the discussion (2)
- The Last First Kiss is reported as the working title and rejected.
- Hitch is affirmed as the perfect title.
Will Smith and Eva Mendes’s chemistry; the extended kiss lesson.
The first is contrasted with stronger pairings, while the second is defended as iconic; others find no weak link.
In the discussion (6)
- Will Smith and Eva Mendes’s romantic chemistry is criticized as merely adequate. — Van Lathan
- Their chemistry is compared unfavorably with Smith and Margot Robbie and with Mendes and Ryan Gosling. — Van Lathan
- Will Smith and Kevin James are judged to have the movie’s strongest chemistry.
- The extended kissing lesson is criticized as overlong.
- The kissing lesson is defended as iconic and not bothersome.
- Another view says there are no weak links because the core actors are solid.
A thriving gossip tabloid and its luxurious office.
The newspaper business and physical newsroom are treated as period artifacts.
In the discussion (1)
- A thriving tabloid gossip operation is proposed as distinctly 2005.
Hitch is Will Smith’s fourth-best film; it may be his purest star performance; Eva Mendes should have remained in Fast & Furious.
Focus over Hitch and several franchise alternatives are argued separately.
In the discussion (6)
- Hitch is ranked as Will Smith’s fourth-best movie behind Men in Black, Independence Day, and Bad Boys.
- Focus is ranked above Hitch by another participant.
- Hitch is proposed as Will Smith’s best or most representative pure movie-star performance.
- Eva Mendes leaving the Fast & Furious series after 2 Fast 2 Furious is called its biggest mistake.
- Replacing Michelle Rodriguez with Mendes from the first film is proposed and disputed.
- Keeping both women in the franchise is offered as the preferred alternative.
Jeffrey Donovan; Joe Lo Truglio.
Donovan is the main selection, while Lo Truglio’s speed-dating appearance is also proposed.
In the discussion (2)
- Jeffrey Donovan is selected.
- Joe Lo Truglio is proposed for his speed-dating moment.
Chip; Vance Munson; Paula Patton.
Chip receives the strongest immediate support.
In the discussion (2)
- Chip is selected for the brief bar performance.
- Vance Munson and Paula Patton are proposed as alternatives.
Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Amber Valletta, and post-9/11 New York; not Will Smith, jet skis, Ellis Island, or waxing scenes.
Benadryl and several movie devices receive debated or negative answers.
In the discussion (9)
- Will Smith is placed below his late-1990s apex.
- Eva Mendes is placed at or near her apex.
- Kevin James is placed at his breakthrough apex.
- Benadryl is debated and rejected.
- Jet skis are rejected in favor of Eastbound & Down and Miami.
- Amber Valletta is selected.
- Hair waxing is rejected because The 40-Year-Old Virgin did it better the same year.
- Ellis Island is rejected.
- Post-9/11 New York comeback movies are proposed, with Spider-Man as competition.
Tom Cruise as Hitch; Tom Hanks as Albert.
Cruise as Vance Munson is added as a short cameo possibility.
In the discussion (3)
- Tom Cruise is selected for Hitch.
- Tom Hanks is proposed for Albert and challenged as too handsome or tall.
- Cruise is proposed for a two-day Vance Munson cameo.
Hitch 2 with Will Smith returning from retirement.
The contemporary dating climate is offered as the reason the sequel is timely, while Smith’s age is the main objection.
In the discussion (4)
- A sequel with Will Smith is endorsed.
- Hitch being drawn out of retirement is proposed to address Smith’s age.
- The current dating climate is argued to need Hitch’s approach.
- Smith’s post-Oscars career and age are discussed as practical complications.
Ted Levine receiving dating advice from Hitch.
The imagined coaching covers his voice, pit, house, and butterflies.
In the discussion (1)
- Ted Levine is selected as Hitch’s difficult client.
Hitch’s dating diagram; walkie-talkies; scuba suits; remote-controlled apartment equipment.
The diagram is favored as a large, strange prop.
In the discussion (4)
- The scuba suits are proposed.
- Hitch’s large dating diagram is selected.
- The walkie-talkies are proposed.
- The remote-controlled apartment system is proposed.
True love does not need gimmicks; live deliberately; value breathtaking moments.
The movie’s aphorisms are repeated with mixed enthusiasm.
In the discussion (3)
- Life is measured by moments that take your breath away is proposed and mocked as corny.
- Wake up each day on purpose is proposed.
- True love does not need gimmicks is selected.
Will Smith; Kevin James is a close second.
The panel repeatedly chooses Smith while crediting James with nearly stealing the movie and gaining more career value.
In the discussion (3)
- Will Smith is repeatedly selected as the winner.
- Kevin James is repeatedly identified as a very close second.
- Smith’s established dominance is contrasted with Hitch serving as James’s breakout.
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