# Hitch (film)
**Hitch** is a 2005 American romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant and written by Kevin Bisch, starring [Will Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-smith) as Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, a professional New York matchmaker known as the "date doctor" who coaches awkward men while stumbling in his own love life.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH) • [2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch) [Columbia Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-pictures) and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment produced the film, which [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures) released wide in the United States on February 11, 2005, timed to Valentine's Day weekend.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide release February 11, 2005 by Sony Pictures; video release June 14, 2005[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) |
| Director / writer | Andy Tennant; screenplay by Kevin Bisch[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH) |
| Producers | James Lassiter, Will Smith, and Teddy Zee[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH) |
| Principal cast | Will Smith (Hitch), Eva Mendes (Sara), Kevin James (Albert), Amber Valletta (Allegra Cole)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH) |
| Box office | $177,784,257 domestic and $189,000,000 international, for $366,784,257 worldwide[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) |
| Opening weekend | $43,142,214 in 3,575 theaters[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references; 117 minutes[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) |
| Critical scores | 68% Tomatometer from 184 reviews; 62% Popcornmeter from more than 250,000 ratings[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitch) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Hitch sells a simple service: in three dates, he guarantees his male clients the woman of their dreams.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch) His current client is Albert ([Kevin James](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-james)), an accountant in love with his boss, the society heiress Allegra Cole ([Amber Valletta](https://www.edgepedia.org/amber-valletta)), and the film follows Albert's unlikely courtship to success.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch) Complications arise when tabloid columnist Sara Melas ([Eva Mendes](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-mendes)), investigating how a "tubby schlub" won Allegra's heart, discovers that the man she has been dating, Alex Hitchens, is the date doctor himself; exposed in a front-page scoop, Hitch must try to save both Albert and Allegra's relationship and his own.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch)
The character's method leans on nonverbal communication. As Roger Ebert, the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) critic who won the [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) for criticism in 1975, summarized the Date Doctor's creed: "Ninety percent of what you're saying isn't coming out of your mouth," meaning body language, posture, and attitude carry more weight than anything a man says.[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hitch-2005) Hitch guarantees success only up to the third-date kiss, after which clients are on their own.[6](https://eprints.ums.ac.id/17692/2/03._chapter_1.pdf)
## Production
**A troubled shoot.** Director Andy Tennant's main problem was that the story was not close to finished when shooting began in November 2003.[7](https://mande.net/btl/commentary/director-series/director-series-andy-tennant-hitch) The film was shot entirely in New York over 70 days.[7](https://mande.net/btl/commentary/director-series/director-series-andy-tennant-hitch) In interviews two decades later, Tennant described creative tensions with Smith over the film's direction: "Neither the movie I wanted to make nor the one Will wanted to make were as good as the one we made together. It was a battle." Three days before shooting was to start, Smith tried to delay production to work on the material further, and [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/jada-pinkett-smith) mediated between the two men.[8](https://los40.com/2025/02/12/el-director-de-hitch-habla-de-lo-dificil-que-fue-trabajar-con-will-smith-fue-una-batalla/)
Casting was a joint project: Tennant said that after Smith hired him, "all we talked about was casting Eva Mendes."[9](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2005/02/19/Hitch-Interview-with-Andy-Tennant) The credited crew included cinematographer Andrew Dunn, editors Troy Takaki and Tracey Wadmore-Smith, production designer Jane Musky, and composer [George Fenton](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-fenton).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH) The film was presented out of competition at the 2005 [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival) (Berlinale).[8](https://los40.com/2025/02/12/el-director-de-hitch-habla-de-lo-dificil-que-fue-trabajar-con-will-smith-fue-una-batalla/)
## Box office
Hitch opened at number one on [Valentine's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/valentines-day) weekend, taking in an estimated $45.3 million, Smith's first romantic-comedy lead after a career of action films.[10](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hitch-tops-v-day-box-office/) The Numbers records the opening weekend at $43,142,214, 24.3% of the eventual domestic total, in 3,575 theaters.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) By February 28, 2005 it had become the first 2005 release to cross the $100 million mark in domestic ticket sales, and it kept Oscar-season contenders such as *The Aviator* and *Million Dollar Baby* out of the top spot before ceding first place to *Diary of a Mad Black Woman*, which took an estimated $22.7 million on Oscars weekend.[11](https://www.chron.com/culture/main/article/hitch-becomes-year-s-first-film-to-cross-100-1651781.php) • [12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/box-office-mad-black-woman-rejects-hitch-for-227m/)
The film's legs were strong: domestic gross reached $177,784,257, 48.5% of a worldwide total of $366,784,257, with an inflation-adjusted domestic figure of $331,716,030.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) Sources disagree on the production budget: The Numbers lists $55,000,000, making the worldwide gross 6.7 times the budget, while [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists $70,000,000 and a slightly higher worldwide gross of $371,594,603.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch) • [13](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2606335489/) Estimated domestic DVD sales added $24,397,548.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch)
## Reception
Critical response was moderately positive. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 68% Tomatometer from 184 reviews and a 62% audience score, with the critics' consensus crediting Will Smith and Kevin James with "solid, warmhearted performances" despite the story's predictability.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitch) Ebert gave the film two and a half stars, calling it "a pleasant and undemanding romantic comedy" whose third act "goes on autopilot just when the Doctor should be in."[5](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hitch-2005) Reviewers repeatedly singled out Kevin James, whose physical comedy as Albert was described as the film's "amusingly awkward saving grace" against Smith's suave lead performance.[14](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hitch/) Time Out noted that both leads came from sitcom backgrounds, James on *The King of Queens* and Smith on *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*, and credited that grounding for the first half's quick wit.[15](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hitch)
Some critics found the plot formulaic. Slant Magazine argued that Sara's second-act rage at discovering Hitch's profession was out of proportion given her own work as a celebrity muckraker, and that the script forced Hitch into a conventional apology.[14](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hitch/) A retrospective review noted that dating websites and apps have made the film's matchmaking methods look "quaint, arcane, and more than a bit dated."[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitch)
## Legacy
Hitch was Smith's one surefire hit per year in a run that also included *[I, Robot](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-robot-film)* (2004), *The Pursuit of Happyness* (2006), *I Am Legend* (2007), and *Hancock* (2008).[16](https://time.com/3724404/will-smith-focus/) It was Smith's first romantic lead in a straight romantic comedy, a departure noted at the time as a risk for an action star releasing in February rather than July.[17](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hitch/) A sequel has been greenlit, with Tennant not attached to direct and Smith expected to reprise the role of Hitch twenty years after the original release.[8](https://los40.com/2025/02/12/el-director-de-hitch-habla-de-lo-dificil-que-fue-trabajar-con-will-smith-fue-una-batalla/) The film remains available on digital platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch)
## References
1. [Hitch (2005), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/63452-HITCH)
2. [HITCH, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hitch)
3. [Hitch (2005) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Hitch)
4. [Hitch, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitch)
5. ["Hitch" writes tame prescription for Valentine's, review by Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hitch-2005)
6. [Struggle for Love of Albert Brennaman in Andy Tennant's Hitch Movie (2005), Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta e-prints](https://eprints.ums.ac.id/17692/2/03._chapter_1.pdf)
7. [Director Series: Andy Tennant (Hitch), M&E – Media and Entertainment](https://mande.net/btl/commentary/director-series/director-series-andy-tennant-hitch)
8. [El director de 'Hitch' habla de lo difícil que fue trabajar con Will Smith, LOS40 (February 12, 2025)](https://los40.com/2025/02/12/el-director-de-hitch-habla-de-lo-dificil-que-fue-trabajar-con-will-smith-fue-una-batalla/)
9. [Hitch: Interview with Andy Tennant, OutNow (February 19, 2005)](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2005/02/19/Hitch-Interview-with-Andy-Tennant)
10. ['Hitch' Tops V-Day Box Office, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hitch-tops-v-day-box-office/)
11. ['Hitch' becomes year's first film to cross $100 million mark, Los Angeles Daily News via Chron (February 28, 2005)](https://www.chron.com/culture/main/article/hitch-becomes-year-s-first-film-to-cross-100-1651781.php)
12. [Box Office: Mad Black Woman Rejects Hitch for $22.7M, Rotten Tomatoes editorial (February 28, 2005)](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/box-office-mad-black-woman-rejects-hitch-for-227m/)
13. [Hitch, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2606335489/)
14. [Review: Hitch, Slant Magazine (2005)](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hitch/)
15. [Hitch 2005, directed by Andy Tennant, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hitch)
16. [Can Will Smith Become a Major Movie Star Again?, Time (2015)](https://time.com/3724404/will-smith-focus/)
17. [Hitch, Plugged In movie review](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hitch/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2005 to 2006*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license