WITHOUT A REAL HITCH

I caught the movie Hitch this weekend with three or four hundred other Angelenos. We all enjoyed the film. It's a lot of fun, and includes some positive story choices that would surprise anyone who doesn't read this blog. [ahem.]

Namely, Hitch continues and expands the Gen-X friendly theme that sex is easy but relationship is really hard - and it's the relationship that we should all want. A few outstanding differences in this romantic comedy that separate this new theme from the romantic comedies of the 80's and 90's.

1) The two leads do not have sex during the movie. They actually spend a night together, but it is about caring and sharing and tenderness, and is sex-free.

2) The two supporting characters in the main sub-plot also do not have sex. Their relationship is about friendship and wonder and kindness and caring, that matures into unconditional love. In the end, they get married.

3) The one couple that does have sex outside of marriage in the film suffers disastrous consequences. The woman is full of remorse and self-loathing. The guy is labelled "a pig" by the ultra-sympathetic hero played by Will Smith. The charge against "the pig" is that he "hits and splits" in his relationships.

4) The movie has some wonderful things to say about the differences between the sexes as being charming and delightful. (Which is a hige leap forward from the movies of the last two decades which, in the shadow of the feminist movement, has only been able to assert over and over that "men are pigs." I read a quote recently by Phyllis Schlafly to the effect that, "The reason liberal women think all men are pigs, is because liberal men are." So funny!)

5) Finally, this film indicates that romance is not a series of techniques to get what you want, but is a dying to self to bring gifts to another. Lovely.

So, essentially, we seem to be working our way back to about 1840 here. Wonder how far back we'll go...

Anyway, except for some unfortunate choices in language, Hitch is a lot of fun and popularizes goodness. If you like romantic comedies, go see it.