DVD Review- "This Means War" 2012

This Means War

Directed by- McG

Running Time- 97 min

Rated PG-13

Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy star in this romantic comedy about two CIA operatives and long-time friends who fall in love with the same girl. They agree to keep the fact that they know each other a secret from her and also agree to stay out of each others way while they let her decide which one of them she wants to be with. Of course their competitive natures get the better of them and they use all the CIA resources they have at their disposal in order to ruin the others chances with her.

Witherspoon plays Lauren, an employee at a product endorsement company, who, despite her beautiful appearance, has not found love. She is a charming no-nonsense woman and she is adorable as always and I like that the movie doesn't pretend that she can't get any man she wants. But this is hardly deep stuff for her . Her character is pedestrian and her problems are trivial. I'd assume lots of women would love to have the problem of having their pick between Pine and Hardy.

Hardy plays Tuck, a divorced single father who meets Lauren through an online dating profile. Tuck is stable and reliable and considerate but he needs to prove his dangerous impulsive side in order for Lauren to choose him.

Pine meanwhile plays Foster or FDR as he is called throughout the movie. He, unlike Tuck, is a single lady's man who is a smart aleck to everyone, including and especially to women. He meets Lauren literally right after Tuck. Since Lauren is a no-nonsense woman his usual charm doesn't work on her. He annoys her but he also manages to challenge her and she agrees to date him out of spite. And within one date she realizes there is more to him than his slick exterior . But he has to prove his sensitive side to Lauren.

The idea of a love triangle is an oldie but a goodie and there hasn't been a lot of them in movies over the past few years so I'll spare the movie the criticism of calling it cliché. Plus making the two men CIA agents is a nice twist. The fact that the two men are CIA operatives gives the movie a “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” or “True Lies” feel to it even though the action scenes are no where near as cool. It allows the movie to be funny while it deals with the relationship under “surveillance,” and at the same time exciting when it deals with the action scenes involving the job of CIA agents.

Audiences will find plenty of simple laughs and "Charlie's Angels"-type action sequences to keep them happy with this piece of light entertainment that will almost certainly be forgotten by year's end. As for me, I didn't hate it and that really is the nicest thing I can say about it.

Review Grade- C