Hitch and Authenticity

Last updated on: February 3, 2025 at 10:33 pm by Zachary Miller

Hitch and Authenticity 2025-02-03T22:33:18-06:00 Zachary Miller

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Columbia Pictures via “IMDb”

Full confession: I have yet to see a single episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I promise I’m not avoiding it, my television education has just always lagged behind my film education. (Though give me some credit, I am working to catch up and just finished watching Malcom in the Middle yesterday.) So when I think of Will Smith’s iconic roles, my attention generally defers to his 2005 rom-com, Hitch.

Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Will Smith) make a living as a “date doctor,” helping men who are lacking in confidence win over women they’re sure would never give them a second glance. Hitch is landed with the job of a lifetime when the bumbling Albert Brenneman (played by Kevin James for perspective) enlists his help to win the attention of elegant socialite, Allegra Cole. It’s the kind of situation that turns heads, one of them being gossip columnist, Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), the woman that Hitch happens to be interested in.

Hitch’s whole promise is that you can arrange circumstances in such a way that you never have to reveal the most awkward parts of yourself. Love without vulnerability. It’s easy to see the appeal there, but you can also see how it sounds too good to be true. Hitch was himself burned by a previous relationship when his girlfriend did not reciprocate his vulnerability. He says he feels “obliged to pass on this education to his fellow men.” He has built a career on building up a fragile ego, determined to never reveal anything vulnerable about himself or put himself in any situation in which he doesn’t look like a superhero.

His whole persona has a charming, even admirable bend to it. You kinda want what he’s got. But it’s the moments when Hitch is so clearly out of his comfort zone that stand out as the strongest, both narrative-wise and character-wise. It’s also when his defenses are dropped that you get to see how Alex and Sara have a genuine rapport and level of comfort with one another. One such event has Hitch develop an intense allergic reaction, and in the fallout, Sara takes him over to her place. It’s there that they share their life stories, and with them moments of genuine tenderness, setting the stage for a moment of genuine bonding between the two of them.

That’s not necessarily a viewpoint Hitch is eager to convert to. He and Albert are at odds with how to woo Allegra for basically the whole film. Hitch sees Albert as a walking disaster who is one breakdance from screwing up his chance with not only Allegra, but all of womankind. The twist is, it’s his irrepressible authenticity that endears Allegra to Albert. Hitch’s date doctor magic was nothing more than a placebo effect that gave Albert the confidence to open himself up to someone he was convinced was “out of his league.” Hitch is convinced that he has found a shortcut through living, an excuse to never feel disappointed or embarrassed, but really he is just putting up walls and closing doors. His only shot at happiness is by abandoning the facade and baring his soul to the woman he loves.

Being authentic entails a lot more than just not lying. The kind of vulnerability that builds trust and companionship comes when you allow your whole self to be seen.

Columbia Pictures via “Movie Scope”

General Christian

Previous Post

May 7, 2024

It's a Wonderful Life and Service

Next Post

June 11, 2024 The Skeleton Twins and Solidarity

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Action Movies Animated Christ Classical Film Divinity Faith Finding God Goodness Happiness Heaven Horror Films International Film Judging Love Ministering Mortality Movies Musicals Religion Repentence Rom-Coms Sin Trials Truth TV Shows Uncategorized Valiance Worth

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 August 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the first Christian martyr mentioned in Acts?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Barnabas James Philip Stephen