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Review: ‘One Small Hitch’ an overly familiar rom-com

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“One Small Hitch” is the kind of romantic comedy that plays right into the wringing hands of those who can’t abide romantic comedies.

Frantic and flagrantly formulaic, this forced farce about a sham engagement sacrifices plot credibility and character motivation for stale humor and cheap setups.

Meet Molly (Aubrey Dollar), en route from L.A. to Chicago for her mom’s wedding, having just dumped her boyfriend at the airport upon discovering he was married.

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Enter womanizing Josh (Shane McRae), a childhood friend of Molly’s also flying home for the big event, who has just found out his dad (a welcome Daniel J. Travanti, in the film’s only underplayed performance) has terminal cancer and fears he won’t live to see his only child settle down.

You can pretty much figure out where things go from here, especially when director John Burgess and screenwriter Dode B. Levenson are so busy tapping into every tired rom-com convention (trying-on-clothes montage? Check) rather than attempting anything fresh or unexpected.

More unwelcome are the broadly stereotypical characterizations thought to have been ushered out with the last century, particularly those involving the families of Irish Catholic Molly and Jewish Josh.

“Bridget Loves Bernie” just called. It wants its laugh track back.

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“One Small Hitch”

MPAA rating: None

Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Playing: AMC Rolling Hills 20, Torrance. Also on VOD.

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