For those who need a little help getting jiggy wit it: "Hitch"

For reasons somewhat difficult to explain, this movie sat on our shelf for quite a while. I figured it was a no-brainer for me and The Light of My Life to watch together, seeing as how it's a breezy comedy-romance with winning personalities. But then we got sidetracked by various other viewings -- look, honey, "My Father, the Hero!" -- and it wasn't until last weekend that we gave Will Smith his due.

I guess I'm a fan of the former Fresh Prince. Haven't seen all of his stuff, but I do think he does a decent job carrying the popcorn movies. Sure, we all want to ignore "Wild, Wild West" and "The Legend of Bagger Vance," but how could you not root for Smith in "Enemy of the State" or "I, Robot?" Maybe the highest compliment is that it's just hard to hate Willie, what with the goofy grin and smooth moves.

So he should be able to handle romantic comedy just fine, right? Yeah, pretty much. "Hitch" isn't going to make anyone forget "The Philadelphia Story," I suspect, but it was mostly amusing, thanks not only to Smith but also Kevin "The King of Queens" James.

That's who Smith, as a "date doctor," helps woo a superstar actress/model/something. As you might imagine, she's hot, he's fat, and normally never the twain shall meet. Meanwhile, as he helps James, Smith meets a hot gossip columnist played by Eva "I'm not Rosario Dawson" Mendes. The two plot lines overlap a good deal, and ... wait for it ... hijinks ensue.

Like I said, the main characters are pretty likable, even people we've never seen before, such as Amber Valletta as the object of James' affection -- she apparently also plays an ass-kicker in "Transporter 2," which is a little surprising -- and Julie Ann Emery as Mendes' friend. The story, while cutesy at times, moves along well enough and goes on only about 15 minutes too long. The wrap-up at the end is a little too neat, but what did you expect, Smith to cut off Mendes' hand and say he's her father?

In the end, Hitch is pretty much like Smith: hard to hate, even if it's not anything amazing. I'll confess I haven't seen "Ali" and therefore can't comment on his Acting with a capital A. But as long as he sticks to the lighter stuff -- action, comedy and romance -- odds are he won't be totally horrible. At least not if we agree "Bad Boys II" never happened.