Make a date with ‘Hitch’

If you’re looking for the perfect date movie, I highly recommend

“Hitch,” starring Will Smith as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens. Alex is a New

York “date doctor” who helps men score dates. His service is by

referral only, and he’s become quite an urban legend in the city.

At the start of the film, Alex hooks up goofy-looking guys with

amazing women by using his dating techniques. One of the bonuses of

“Hitch” is that it’s also educational.

Alex is great at setting people up, but he has a negative attitude

toward his own love life. This changes once he meets the beautiful

Allegra Cole, played by Glendale native Eva Mendes. Mendes adds just

enough spunk to make the film believable, and Smith’s solid

performance carries the movie the rest of the way.

The upbeat soundtrack keeps things moving at a quick pace, and you

barely notice the two-hour running time.

Kevin James, from “King of Queens,” has a memorable guest-star

role, and his antics had my audience laughing throughout all his

scenes. “Hitch” is set and shot in New York City, and the movie

captures the beauty and history of this great part of our country.

I didn’t jump out of my chair to review this movie -- the last

place I want to be seen is at a romantic comedy on a Saturday night,

especially during Valentine’s weekend. But I have to admit I really

enjoyed being “Hitch”ed. Well, at least for one night.

* MATT BELLNER is a Burbank resident.

‘The Sea Inside’ is clever and touching

“The Sea Inside,” a finely crafted and touching story of Spanish

writer Ramon Sampedro’s struggles to legally find assistance to end

his “life without dignity,” is one of the best films to be released

in 2004. This cleverly written screenplay introduces a diverse cast

of characters who offer their own philosophies and insights into the

dilemma that bedevils poor Sampedro, a bed-bound quadriplegic who, in

spite of his love of life, has grown weary of living without

participating.

Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar, “The

Sea Inside” examines a current social issue that continues to

confound lawmakers and philosophers alike. At what point do one’s

physical difficulties become so unbearable that one may seek help in

ending one’s life?

An ex-sailor, Sampedro has a love-hate relationship with the sea.

As a young man, Sampedro enjoyed his adventurous life aboard ship,

traveling from port to port only to later have the sea take

everything from him in a tragic diving accident. In his longing for

the power and freedom of the sea, Sampedro can occasionally detect

the faint odor of it from his lonely bedroom.

From the prison of his bed in the sturdy home on his family’s

farm, Sampedro attracts the attention of two very different women who

both fall in love with him. Played superbly by noted Spanish actor

Javier Bardem, Sampedro’s smoldering good looks and subtle facial

gestures along with his intense poetry make this part of the story

entirely believable.

Julia (Belen Rueda), an attorney who assists Sampedro in his

dealings with a suicide-advocacy group, grows to love him as she

faces the ravages of a degenerative illness that she knows will one

day put her in a position similar to his. The other love interest,

Rosa (Lola Duenas), a simpler, plainer woman whose affection for

Sampedro is not returned, becomes the only person who truly

understands his dilemma, and it is to her that Sampedro finally goes

to put his troubles to an end. Beautifully filmed in the Spanish

countryside, “The Sea Inside” is rated PG-13 for adult themes and

brief language and is probably too intense for younger audiences. The

film has been released in America with English subtitles.

* JEFF KLEMZAK is a La Crescenta resident.