This Means War Movie Review

I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. I don't know why but I just love them. I know wholeheartedly that they are probably, and usually are, not all that good and just there to earn an easy buck, but if they have an actor I like or I just want to have an enjoyable evening, most of the time I'd pick a rom-com. This Means War is the newest rom-com to hit theaters and I was hopeful when I first saw the trailers that it would at least be better than the steaming pile known as "One For the Money." It had one of my all time favorites Reese Witherspoon in it as well as two of my favorite leading men in Hollywood today: Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. It was also directed by McG, who directed the Charlie's Angels films, which are two of my guilty pleasures. It also seemed to have an abundance of action, something that seemed like a nice breath of fresh air in this genre. I mean I'm not expecting Michael Bay to release the next Miley Cyrus film or anything but to see some spy action thrown in can't hurt can it? 

But hope, posters and trailers can only get you so far. Is this film any good? Well surprisingly my hope was not misplaced and This Means War is actually really good. It's predictable, full of holes and everything else I've come to love/tolerate in a rom-com but at it's core it's hilarious, action packed and a frothy, enjoyable romp.

 The film follow Tuck (Hardy) and FDR (Pine) two CIA agents who, after a botched mission in Hong Kong involving a terrorist named Heinrich (Til Schweiger), are put on desk duty. Meanwhile Lauren (Witherspoon), a product tester, is anxious to get back in the dating game after her ex gets engaged to another woman. Her friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) signs her up for online dating and gets paired with Tuck, who starts an online dating profile after watching a commercial for it on television. FDR decides to be his wingman but soon finds he's not needed since the two are hitting it off. FDR and Lauren bump into each other later (him not knowing she was Tuck's date) and soon they begin hitting it off as well. Lauren feels bad about the idea of dating two guys but Trish convinces her to along with it. Soon both men discover that they are dating the same woman and, since neither will back down, decide to let Lauren figure out who she wants to be with. They start off promising they won't interfere in each other's lives but, like any good rom-com, that  doesn't last that long and soon they're sabotaging each others dates, all while Heinrich plans his revenge on the two.

This movie is flat out hilarious. While there are plenty of inconsistencies in the plot and the whole Heinrich storyline feels like an afterthought, for the most part the writing is really top notch. It's been a while since I've laughed this hard during a movie. You could question why two agents are spending hundreds of millions of dollars stalking a woman or how a restaurant full of people can suddenly become empty in a blink of an eye but really, why would you want to? Suspending your disbelief is part of what makes movies like these good. They aren't meant to break through any barriers or cause you to rethink your life. They are meant to entertain and make you laugh. That's all. On the acting side Hardy, Witherspoon and Pine all give great performances. Chelsea Handler though, who I usually don't like, steals the show. Her delivery, her facial expressions, everything about her is fantastic.

Great action, great laughs, great fun, This Means War may not change the world but it's escapism at its finest.