Review: This Means War

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This Means WarWhether you're looking for an action movie, a raucous comedy, or a chick flick for date night, This Means War satisfies as all three. Directed by McG, my favorite of his films to date follows on the heels of his worst, 2009's Terminator Salvation.

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy star as best friends and CIA partners who inadvertently find themselves dating the same woman, Reese Witherspoon.  While she remains unable to decide between them, they go to ever more extreme lengths using their CIA skills and resources to learn about her and outdo each other in their efforts to win her affection.  

Writers Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg have a mixed record. Dowling is credited on Role Models, and Kinberg, who penned screenplays for Sherlock Holmes and Mr & Mrs Smith, was also responsible for Jumper and X-Men: The Last Stand. With This Means War, they have penned an enjoyable romp that could be a cousin to True Lies, with a similar tongue-in-cheek take on the spy world, albeit considerably smaller in scope.

Though Chris Pine and Tom Hardy seem an unlikely pair, the choice of casting works.  It is becoming difficult to see Pine as anything but Captain Kirk, and this role as hotshot ladykiller spy FDR Foster is a planetbound Kirk. Hardy (who himself once played a clone of Jean-Luc Picard), is thoughtful and sensitive as Foster’s partner Tuck. The characteres each represent polar opposites but equal in attraction for Reese Witherspoon’s Lauren. Even with the help of her best girlfriend Trish (Chelsea Handler), she is unable to decide between the two men who inevitably tie in every game she devises for them.

This Means War was a fun escape from reality for a couple of hours: not too serious, not too silly. Some of the dialogue is quite witty, though Pine seems a bit tongue-tied at times. Angela Bassett makes an all-too-brief appearance as Tuck and Foster’s handler, and I felt the biggest thing missing from the film was a final scene with her, something which may be on the editing room floor. 

I wish I could say more on the subject, but of course, Reese Witherspoon's character does make a choice at the end, and your opinion of the movie may be swayed depending whether or not you agree with her choice. I’m not sure I do, but I still had a lot of fun.