The verdict: “This Means War” is an agreeably dim-witted effort that coasts along on the charm of its stars.
Far more rom-com than action-driven, the movie begins and ends with over-the-top setpieces but really revolves around lovelorn Lauren’s unexpected romantic dilemma and the increasingly antagonistic rivalry between her dueling suitors. Whenever Lauren’s on a date with one of the guys, the other one is using CIA resources and colleagues to monitor every detail of what happens.
Their ethics and judgments make the agents of Showtime’s “Homeland” look like role models of responsibility by comparison, but it’s all played for laughs—which would rarely materialize if not for the inherent appeal of the well-cast central trio. Witherspoon is more relaxed and effervescent than we’ve seen on screen in years, Pine brings the same swagger and likeability he showcased in “Star Trek” and Hardy digs into what should be his breakout role as a Hollywood leading man (provided the film doesn’t bomb at the box office). So it’s a minor shame that their collective talents are applied to such shallow characters.
They’re rom-com types—career-obsessed woman, suave playboy, sympathetic single dad—designed to engage in snappy banter (in two different forms: Tuck and Lauren’s easy chemistry vs. FDR and Lauren’s cutesy conflicts) and wild acts of romantic whimsy (Tuck and Lauren try out a trapeze in a deserted circus tent, FDR takes her racing in an expensive sportscar).
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