Starring Will Smith, Kevin James, and Eva Mendes. Rating unavailable.

Could there be a better time to release a romantic comedy than the Valentine's Day weekend? Such films, like V day itself, allow us to suspend our cynicism, enjoy the wonder of love, and, if we're lucky, share a few laughs.

Judged solely on the theatrical trailer, Hitch would be easy to mistake for a gross-out gag fest like the Farrelly brothers' There's Something About Mary. In fact, Hitch is a subtle and well-written Valentine's Day card that feels closer to classy romantic comedies like About a Boy or Love, Actually thanks to director Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama), who wisely avoids letting the slapstick overwhelm the storytelling.

The story follows self-described "date doctor" Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith), who is being investigated by a jaded New York gossip columnist named Sara, played with a variety of pouty smirks and disapproving looks by Eva Mendes. Although Sara seeks to expose Hitchens's supposedly nefarious methods, his advice is actually rather sensible: "Begin each day as if it were on purpose," "Really listen to her," and "Be in the room." It turns out that Hitch is merely teaching the common man some common courtesy.

Smith's courtesy and charisma charm the audience from the moment he introduces himself to us, literally, í  la Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Alfie. This device also gets us acquainted with Hitch's hyper-real Manhattan, an upper-middle-class world where a gossip columnist has the power to destroy one's social standing and where everyone has a great career and nice clothes.

Predictably, Hitch becomes smitten with Sara, and the date doctor ends up with a fool--himself--for a patient. In accordance with the laws of romantic comedy, however, we already know that their initially disagreeable meeting will turn amorous, then tumultuous, before blossoming into a happy ending.

Meanwhile, Hitch's hypothesis that "every man has a chance" is tested by the arrival of his newest trainee, Albert, a corporate accountant and overall schlub played with an endearing vulnerability by King of Queens star Kevin James. James presents a thoughtful plus-size man with a desire for self-improvement, unlike the late Chris Farley, who played his corpulence solely for laughs. But a romantic goal is nothing if it is easily won, and Albert's target is a client, the unattainable, super-rich socialite Allegra Cole, played by supermodel Amber Valletta. Although Valletta is only pleasantly adequate as an actor, her brief scenes with James exhibit a real chemistry that is, sadly, lacking between Smith and Mendes.

In the end, Hitch is a perfect Valentine's Day date movie with a likable cast and a satisfying story line that won't insult your intelligence.

What's not to love, actually?