Does the World Really Need a "Dating Doctor"?

Hitch's allergic reaction on bad date number two.

The 2005 movie, "Hitch" starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes, tells the story of Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) who makes a living as a professional dating consultant. His job is to help men woo women who otherwise would have never noticed them. Hitch is tasked with helping Albert (Kevin James), a sweet but clumsy/dorky man, woo Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), a celebrity who barely knows of Albert's existence. In the mean time, the "date doctor" himself is in the process of trying to woo Sara (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist workaholic and all around most standard female lead in a rom-com. All of his dates with her end very unfortunately, whether it be reminding Sara of a terrible family legacy, or accidentally discovering Hitch has severe food allergies. Despite all of the misfortunes, the dates still end with the other wanting another.

The dating consultation service that Hitch provides is the central detail that the plot is based around. His service involves creating a meet-cute, encouraging a scene where the woman is more likely to notice the man, and then coach the man on how to be cool through the first two-three dates. After the first kiss, Hitch leaves his clients to build the relationship from there. Hitch also makes a clear distinction between the types of clients he will take. His service is about helping men start a genuine, romantic relationship with a woman they care about. He makes a scene where he turns down a man who wanted Hitch to

Hitch coaching Albert through how to get Allegra's attention.

help him get a girl to sleep with him. The main question throughout the story is whether or not the dating service is socially acceptable. Does this service help men manipulate women? Does it lead to women getting hurt? Can a woman trust her partner after discovering that he used this service? Hitch makes the argument that his service just provides men with the opportunity to make themselves noticed. The rest of the service isn't about changing the man to make the woman fall for him, but to help him get through his awkwardness so that he is given a chance.

The movie has an interesting discussion on the treatment of women. The service can feel very creepy and manipulative while at the same time also makes sense in a way. After his service being outed to the world, Hitch explains that the reason his service is needed is because women are so guarded that good men are unable to make themselves noticed. At the same time, Hitch doesn't blame women for being guarded. He acknowledges that the reason women are so guarded is because of the men who manipulate women into sleeping with them just to dump them the next morning. It is the same reason why he does not offer his service to men like that. He explains that he just makes the opportunities

Hitch and Sara

happen, he doesn't orchestrate the entire relationship. The movie ends with Hitch helping Sara's best friend woo a beautiful man at the end, showing how he set up the opportunity for her to be noticed. The movie asks a complicated question about how far is too far to gain a woman's attention.

The movie doesn't flip too many expectations about gender. Sara is a feminine woman with a job as a gossip columnist. Hitch is literally so well known for being a calm and collected ladies man that he makes money from it. The side couple shows a little more flips in gender expectation. Allegra wants more control in her investments and wants to be in control. Albert is not an assertive man at all. At the same time, his character is the average caricature of the male nerdy character, socially inept, unable to talk to women, and extremely quirky. These features are what women are supposed to fall over.

This movie uses so many of the standard romantic comedy tropes. Sara is a fairly textbook example of the female lead in a romantic comedy. She is a workaholic, dating cynic, who thinks that love is a myth. She has a gay best friend whose role in the film is to encourage her to get out in the world and open herself up to dating. Thankfully though, we do know that this character has a job and we can assume a life that exists outside of the main characters. The characters also have a dance montage at the end of the movie, my personal favorite trope in romantic comedies. While it sticks to some of the tropes, the movie tries hard to break a few as well. Instead of the lead woman hating her female coworkers simply because of the perpetuated myth that women can't get along, Sara is best friends with her female coworker and that friendship never waivers throughout the entire movie.

This movie was very interesting to watch. It might not be smashing any gender barriers or rewriting the genre but it does discuss how the dating world has become more complicated, especially by men who hurt women. It asks a lot of important questions about how to treat women respectfully while still having an honest chance.