This Means War

While the presence of two action stars and a title as menacing as This Means War, the film could be pretty intense. But actually it’s just a romantic comedy. Oh I get it; the title is a joke because the leads are fighting over a girl. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy star as CIA agents and best friends who both fall for a nice everyday woman, played by Reese Witherspoon. Since Pine’s character is a ladies man and Hardy’s a straight arrow, by the books kind of guy, Witherspoon just can’t make up her mind. So the guys begin a friendly battle to woo her and win her hand. It’s like The Bachelor without the weirdos.

For whatever reason, the film kept making me think it should be viewed at a drive-in. It’s probably because of the light, fun plot with moments of well-done comedy. But alas, the movie came out in February so I had to watch in doors. While more commonly found in drama, Hardy keeps up well with the always witty Pine. Even Witherspoon does well moving on after a few forgettable performances that have plagued her lately. Chelsea Handler is tolerable. Take that as a positive compared to how I would usually rate her.

The action moments with the agents fighting a villain played by Til Schweiger, are completely marginalized. While the film is about the romance, the threat of this master criminal tracking them only creates a problem in the last 20 minutes. The chemistry between Hardy and Pine ultimately keeps the film afloat. This Means War isn’t amazing, but it’s a fun movie. It’s nice to see Hardy in a role where he can smile sandwiched between his angry turn in Warrior and the biggest role of his career so far as Bane in The Dark knight Rises. Pine has the smart ass role down pat.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.