Double Feature

February 2008 - Ahhh, February. This being a leap year, this month of love lives for an extra day, which gives you an extra day to catch these two films about finding true love.

Let's start with Hitch, a 2005 PG-13 romcom that pairs the Fresh Prince and the King of Queens. Andy Tennant (Fools Rush In and Sweet Home Alabama) directs.

Will Smith, the Fresh Prince, plays Alex Hitchens. He's a confirmed bachelor who makes his living by helping other men hook up with the women of their dreams. One of those other men is a klutzy accountant named Albert (Kevin James, the King of Queens). Albert is head-over-heels for an heiress named Allegra (played by model Amber Valletta). She doesn't know that Albert exists until, after some advice from Hitch, he uncharacteristically asserts himself and stands up for Allegra.

While Hitch works his magic with Albert, he finds himself falling for Sara, a gossip columnist played by Eva Mendes. Sara is a cynical single, and Hitch's attempts at romance go drastically awry. Still, things are going well until Sara blames Hitch for giving a slimy guy advice about how to get her best friend into bed.

Overall review: Liked it, especially because of the great physical comedy of Kevin James. I wanted to see more of Albert and Allegra and less of Hitch and Sara. Despite a predictable outcome, the movie did have quite a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Wicker Park finds Josh Hartnett trying to find his lost love. This 2004 drama is rated PG-13. It effectively combines the star-crossed lover aspect of Made in Heaven, the stalker aspect of Single White Female and the if-the-shoe-fits aspect of Cinderella. Matthew Lillard of Scream fame also stars.

Hartnett plays Matthew, a young advertising executive in Chicago who's about to make his first big business trip to China. He's also thinking about popping the question to his girlfriend, who happens to be his boss's sister.

But, just hours before his scheduled departure, Matthew meets his old friend, Luke (Lillard), who runs a distinctive shoe store. He also has an almost encounter with Lisa, a former lover who he hasn't seen for two years.

Instead of going to China, Matthew spends the next several days trying to track down Lisa. He thinks he's found her only to discover another woman who dresses like Lisa and calls herself Lisa but doesn't look like Lisa. So, what's going on? Clues are revealed and eventually the complete picture presents itself.

Overall review: Liked it, thanks in part to a great modern rock soundtrack featuring the likes of Coldplay and the White Stripes. The photography and editing are also interesting. And, the movie does a good job of building suspense. I got sucked in despite the fact that the film is derivative in so many ways and despite the fact that a simple phone call could have saved everyone a whole lot of heartache.