It seems strange that Hollywood doesn’t make more movies that appeal to both men and women. I’m speaking of genre films: Romantic comedies are solely geared toward women, while most action films are made with young men in mind.
“This Means War” is an exception. It’s an action-romcom centered on a love triangle in which two of the parties are CIA operatives. Directed by McG, the man who made his name with “Charlie’s Angels,” the movie seemed a promising hybrid. But it’s hard to do two things well, it seems.
“This Means War” opens, in fact, with a complicatedly staged action sequence. FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) are in Hong Kong, tasked with stealing something from some tough-looking German. They’re good — especially with the ladies, as FDR proves in the bar awaiting the German’s arrival — but not good enough. Heinrich (German actor-writer-director Til Schweiger, sadly wasted in this film) survives and vows to find the Americans who killed his brother.
| On screen |
| ‘This Means War’ |
| 2.5 out of 4 stars |
| Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy |
| Director: McG |
| Rated: PG-13 (for sexual content, including references, some violence and action, and for language) |
| Running time: 96 minutes |
Neither FDR nor Tuck seem too worried, though. They’re back in Los Angeles, where ladies’ man FDR has an apartment with a glass ceiling that reveals the hotties swimming in the rooftop pool and Tuck strikes out once again with his ex-wife and mother of his child. The Englishman decides to look for a soulmate online. And he thinks he might have found her: Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) is smart, gorgeous, and funny.
Unfortunately, FDR thinks so, too. He was hanging out in a nearby video store, in case Tuck needed to be saved from a bad date. Instead, he meets Lauren when the date’s over and she pops in to rent a movie.
The men quickly learn they’ve fallen for the same woman. But the co-workers and best friends decide not to let it ruin their friendship — even though both decide to keep pursuing the girl. With all the resources of the CIA behind them.
With a cast this charming, “This Means War” should be been a sure winner. It’s a lark, but not nearly as engaging as its talent.
Really, it’s the sparks between Pine and Hardy that make “This Means War” worth watching, as cute as Witherspoon is. The best scene in the film is the one in which FDR leaves a series of increasingly desperate voice messages for Tuck, who is out with Lauren instead of watching a “CHiPs” marathon with his buddy. It’s extra adorable because Pine’s father was one of the stars of that series.
