Note: spoilers follow...
The story had too many characters, first of all. Normally you can have a large cast, with many bit parts, but this movie required feeling and meaning from at least two such characters. Predictably, both failed miserably.
The bizarre part was how Tennant, the director, seemed to think that cutting back to the faces of these characters over and over again would make the scene more meaningful: yes, we've seen Maria's (Mercedes Renard) face many times now, with that "Ah, aren't they a cute couple" expression on her face, but, you know what? We just met her! This five-minute scene isn't communicating their sisterly bond, as you're clearly hoping it will! Maggie (Austin Lysy) was the other "important" bit character, and again, his scene? Empty.
Will Smith was very natural as Hitch, but he couldn't make up for some of Eva's awkward moments, especially in the last half hour of the movie. Admittedly, the convoluted script probably had a lot to do with them - did anyone really believe that a reporter would get so upset without investigating a little further? - but it made for a really wobbly ending.
