This Means War (2012)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Al S

  
  A sexy and stylish action-comedy. It`s swift, smart, outragious and wickedly enjoyable movie thats loaded with explosive action, crisp romance and great humor from start to finish. A perfect blend of a spy-action film mixed with romance and buddy comedy. A wildy hilarious and… More
  A sexy and stylish action-comedy. It`s swift, smart, outragious and wickedly enjoyable movie thats loaded with explosive action, crisp romance and great humor from start to finish. A perfect blend of a spy-action film mixed with romance and buddy comedy. A wildy hilarious and extreamly entertaining movie that you cant get enough of. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are a dream team, they have wickedly good chemistry together and are a charming and awesome action duo. These guys are too much fun to watch, two great stars with lots of heart keep this film going strong. Reese Witherspoon is a delight, she and her two co-stars bring on loveable and fun romantic chemistry. A thrilling, slick, fall-down funny action romp. Director, McG`s best film yet. If you loved films like True Lies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, This Means War is your tickett to a great time.

• Scott G

  
  Although it has a good cast, the film suffers from a weak characterization and plot, leaving nothing but a bit of comedy for the audience.

• Candy R

  
  Two best buddies who are CIA agents compete for the affections of the same girl. Young James Bond. I'm for team Hardy. He's more manly than baby face Chris Pine. Reese is very glam. Good cast. Funny rom com.

• Cameron S

  
  Fun. Fun. Fun. An enjoyable two hours that didn't achieve greatness but never even tried too. It knew exactly what it was and was comfy with that, and so was I. Mix this sense of enjoyability with a few good laughs and positive atmoshere in the cinema and what do you get? Fun.

• Chris M

  
  Unfunny, poorly written and just plain lame. All of it is just wrong. The characters are messed up people, (Tom Hardy seems like a good guy at first but then the film seems to lose interest in trying to make him look good and goes for Chris Pine later in the movie.) These characters… More
  Unfunny, poorly written and just plain lame. All of it is just wrong. The characters are messed up people, (Tom Hardy seems like a good guy at first but then the film seems to lose interest in trying to make him look good and goes for Chris Pine later in the movie.) These characters are very one-dimensional. They tried to make this a mix of action and romance, but failed. It's a very forgettable movie.

• jay n

  
  Cartoony romp has a slick surface but not much underneath. What it does have are three charming actors who work hard to buoy it with their personality and charisma. Tom Hardy and Chris Pine work well together actually their chemistry with each other is much stronger- than either share… More
  Cartoony romp has a slick surface but not much underneath. What it does have are three charming actors who work hard to buoy it with their personality and charisma. Tom Hardy and Chris Pine work well together actually their chemistry with each other is much stronger- than either share with their female co-star. Reese is ditzy and sweet but who ever was in charge of her hair should be ashamed, it looks distractingly like straw. The director's roots in music videos are painfully obvious and he does nothing to smooth out the many kinks in the borderline creepy plot. Wasted in nothing parts are Til Schweiger a good actor stuck in a standard villain part that must have been larger in the original script and Angela Bassett, a great actress in a stick figure part that is so far beneath her abilities it's a crying shame. Silly and painless you'll forget it as soon as it's over. All involved have made better films and will again.

• Tired of P

  
  Directed by McG, 20th Century Fox, 2012. Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Angela Bassett, Rosemary Harris,Til Schweiger, Abigail Spencer and Chelsea Handler. Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance. Question: How would feel if a handsome British man, with a sultry… More
  Directed by McG, 20th Century Fox, 2012. Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Angela Bassett, Rosemary Harris,Til Schweiger, Abigail Spencer and Chelsea Handler. Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance. Question: How would feel if a handsome British man, with a sultry accent, asked you out for a first date and wanted to meet you an Irish pub; AND then later that day you had an equally hot American man, with the sexiest blue eyes, hit on you in a DVD store while you were searching for a movie to rent? Well, I would think I had died and gone to heaven - TWICE!! I believe This Means War was made for ME! I mean, seriously, there are two hot guys with qualities that get me weak in the knees and then you mix in romance, humor and action; I am so there. However, I glanced at some of the reviews of this movie (which ripped the movie apart) and it sort of turned me off. Also, I had a feeling the preview showed WAY TOO MUCH. Well, I was right about the preview. Nearly every funny line Chelsea Handler's character had been already shown in the trailer; but I was wrong in thinking this was going to be a bad movie. Was it a great film? No, however, it was a fun movie that was worth the watch. The part that surprised me the most and why I enjoyed This Means War was due to one of the actors and their performance. No, I am not going to say Chris Pine, even though I am a fan of his, but Tom Hardy. I only recall seeing him in one other movie, Inception, which he was decent in but he didn't stand out to me. Now in this movie he was front and center and it made me want to see more of him. He plays a CIA agent named Tuck; a charmer with a heart of gold and in some of the scenes he was quite sexy in such an endearing way. I simply wasn't expecting that. He was why I liked this movie. His responses and reactions were just precious. And the movie was still pretty funny despite the trailer showing too many of the jokes. There were only four to five people in the theatre when I saw This Means War but each of us laughed out loud several times. The comedic chemistry between the two men worked and it worked well. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy looked like they had a blast with their characters and it showed on-screen. Their relationship is what also made this movie enjoyable. Now on the flip-side, the women were the disappointment in this movie. First, I will admit I am not a fan of Chelsea Handler, and I just don't see her appeal or get her sense of humor so I was a little biased on that casting choice. Second, Reese Witherspoon's and Chelsea Handler's characters were apparently best friends but there wasn't any real chemistry between them. Finally, the character Reese Witherspoon played was just kind of boring that I ended up not really caring all that much about her or her dilemma. Another part that didn't work for me for this film had to be the editing or the overall care the film-makers took on the movie. It seemed rushed or an amateur attempt at telling a story. There were some good parts but something just seemed missing as a whole package. So with all that said, the men made This Means War worth it for me. Perhaps a male reviewer might have a different interpretation. But, honestly, their characters were just more developed and better acted. (Okay, okay, they were both not hard to look at for two hours. Fine, I will admit it!) My favorite thing: Tom Hardy was a delight. My least favorite thing: The editing and Chelsea Handler - although when she wasn't going for a laugh she was pretty good. Rating: R Length: 97 minutes Review: 5 out of 10

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"It's SPY against SPY."</i> Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"It's SPY against SPY."</i> Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> This Means War is an action romance with paint by numbers action and totally implausible romance. Although the love triangle consists of improbably beautiful characters, their love war lacks the minimum fire and wit of the worst Judd Apatow comedy. The triangle is less interesting than in Twilight or Les Miserables but just about as humorless. The war motif turns out to be too warlike-surprisingly unromantic. Even in Apatow there is some semblance of reality such as bachelor partying in Vegas, but in This Means War no single scene rings true from a government agent living in an apartment with a swimming pool, and accompanying babes, above the glass of the hallway to using government equipment to spy on a romantic rival. Agents FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy), best friends who sit at desks across from each other, unknowingly date the same eligible lady, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). Their competition, once they find out about the sharing, is characterized by adolescent reactions and high-tech snooping, none of which is either funny or smart. Director McG places an image of Redford and Newman as Butch and Sundance on a screen to let us know the buddy film is alive and well. However, Pine and Hardy do not have the same chemistry or lines although they are in the competition with the iconic stars for good looks. The clichéd subplot has the two agents pursuing foreign bad guy Heinrich (Til Schweiger, a European star relegated to looking very mean and nothing else) on a case assigned by a very angry Collins (Angela Bassett in a thanklessly grumpy role). When they all meet up (including Lauren), the usual car chase ensues with the usually improbable results. Not even the over-the-top effects and quips help in this formulaic denouement. Although allowance for absurdity should always be made in fantasies like this, some semblance of reality is necessary for the audience to be able to laugh at their own fallible humanity through the characters. Not here does it happen.

• Josh L

  
  A harmless piece of fluff that does nothing substantially well, but offers 2 hours of decent entertainment if you turn your brain off enough and enjoy some popcorn with it. It's fairly predictable (apparently I turned my brain off too much going in because I missed a few things… More
  A harmless piece of fluff that does nothing substantially well, but offers 2 hours of decent entertainment if you turn your brain off enough and enjoy some popcorn with it. It's fairly predictable (apparently I turned my brain off too much going in because I missed a few things leading up to the "pick" between the two leading men", but I didn't mind too much), but the thing that bothered me was that the best part was Tom hardy and Chris Pine vying for Reese Witherspoon's affection and they had to shoehorn a ridiculously stupid CIA plot to go with it. That plot was boring and stupid. You would rather see Hardy and Pine go back and forth at each other. No one gives an outstanding performance, but I didn't see anything bad either. It's your typical McG action comedy, which means you'll watch it and enjoy a little bit of it in the moment, then forget about it the next day. Nothing that's really wrong with that... I guess.

• Everett J

  
  "This Means War" is an interesting and quasi fresh romantic comedy. It's about to CIA operatives who begin to date the same girl, and have a "gentlemen" competition to see who she likes more. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy star as the two fighting over Reese… More
  "This Means War" is an interesting and quasi fresh romantic comedy. It's about to CIA operatives who begin to date the same girl, and have a "gentlemen" competition to see who she likes more. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy star as the two fighting over Reese Witherspoon. The three of them are perfect, and make the movie entertaining. Especially Hardy, he is a real star in the making. The issue I have with the movie is the direction and the way it's all put together. It's kind of rushed in spots, and they have this side story with bad guys that doesn't really flesh out, and could have been dropped altogether. Whenever the movie veers away from the love triangle, is when it is at it's worst. Luckily it gets back on track, with some "meh"action scenes, and offers a good conclusion. Men and women will both like it, probably not love it, but it is entertaining.

• Bathsheba M

  
  Nice piece of entertainment. Is Til Schweiger the best bad guy ever or what? Reese is great, cute, etc. The two paramours were wonderful and adorable. It seems to be part of this new thing where they (the movie folks) try to mix a date movie with an action adventure movie with… More
  Nice piece of entertainment. Is Til Schweiger the best bad guy ever or what? Reese is great, cute, etc. The two paramours were wonderful and adorable. It seems to be part of this new thing where they (the movie folks) try to mix a date movie with an action adventure movie with kind of bewildering results. My guess it's because not a lot of women write these things and guys can't write a straight date night movie without getting sick or something. That's okay, I think they've created a new genre--the Matey Night movie. Okay, you think of a better name for it.

• Kase V

  
  I entered the theatre fully expecting to rip into this film, but i was pleasently surprised. I enjoyed watching 'This Means War'. Sure, its far from a perfect movie, buts its not nearly as devoid of any positives as the critics seems to suggest. The film is very… More
  I entered the theatre fully expecting to rip into this film, but i was pleasently surprised. I enjoyed watching 'This Means War'. Sure, its far from a perfect movie, buts its not nearly as devoid of any positives as the critics seems to suggest. The film is very entertaining. The charismatic leads have plenty of fun with the roles. I found the movie pretty damn funny, but the action scenes were very poorly done. The execution of the film was rough, but i laughed throughout, didn't beg for the credits, and was thoroughly entertained. Sometimes thats all that matters.

• Nathan H

  
  This Means War is about two spies who are close friends, and how they compete over the same girl. Directed by McG, this film shifts with random bursts of energy. The script is mediocre, and the settings are off. The only pleasure comes from Bane and Captain Kirk fighting over Legally… More
  This Means War is about two spies who are close friends, and how they compete over the same girl. Directed by McG, this film shifts with random bursts of energy. The script is mediocre, and the settings are off. The only pleasure comes from Bane and Captain Kirk fighting over Legally Blonde.

• Tyler C

  
  The star power trifecta works on saving it from being godawful, but it comes nowhere close to saving This Means War from being a shamelessly silly excuse for an action-romantic comedy genre blend.

• Nicki M

  
  Pleasantly surprised by this - it really looked ghastly from the previews. And don't get me wrong, the spy stuff was - nonsensical and like watching a music video. That this movie actually works is down to Reese. She is actually quite funny here and the movie is best on her… More
  Pleasantly surprised by this - it really looked ghastly from the previews. And don't get me wrong, the spy stuff was - nonsensical and like watching a music video. That this movie actually works is down to Reese. She is actually quite funny here and the movie is best on her scenes (luckily that's a lot of it). Some laughs here as long as plot isn't too important.

• KJ P

  
  A blind date turns into love, followed by a random encounter with the same conclusion, with the same girl, "This Means War!" Is this film good? No. Is it bad? No. It is just another film that you can watch once, laugh really hard, forget about it in about a month and shrug… More
  A blind date turns into love, followed by a random encounter with the same conclusion, with the same girl, "This Means War!" Is this film good? No. Is it bad? No. It is just another film that you can watch once, laugh really hard, forget about it in about a month and shrug your shoulders. The premise is sloppy, yet funny, but the action is lame, the story seems very old, and the first half hour of the film is so uninteresting that any viewer may just want to walk out. Still, watching these to up-and-coming stars fight over a hollywood star is very enjoyable on screen, seeing as their chemistry is actually quite hilarious! The trailer of this film makes it out to be much more than it really is. In the end, I had a lot of fun and that is all that matters. But as a film, it kind of sucks! See it with caution and turn your brain off, and you will laugh your ass off!

• Flutie A

  
  Just enough action, just enough romantic comedy, and just the right amount of Chelsea Handler humor....Solid movie! Don't listen to critics...Just have fun with it, and you won't be let down.

• Wildaly M

  
  Good laughs. Did not know this was a rom-com until I actually watched it.

• George F

  
  This Means War is betting on two things. First, that you fall in love with BOTH Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. And Second, that you still think Reese Witherspoon is hot. What it fails to realize though is that even if all this is true, it's still a terribly mediocre movie with bland… More
  This Means War is betting on two things. First, that you fall in love with BOTH Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. And Second, that you still think Reese Witherspoon is hot. What it fails to realize though is that even if all this is true, it's still a terribly mediocre movie with bland action and one solidly funny gag in all. I didn't feel like this was a waste of my time, but I'll quickly forget I ever saw this or even remember it exists.

• Sean N

  
  'This Means War' follows a general plot that, to put it point-blank, has been done about a million times already. You know, the story where two friends suddenly become rivals when they both try to acquire something. There's really nothing new about it, and considering… More
  'This Means War' follows a general plot that, to put it point-blank, has been done about a million times already. You know, the story where two friends suddenly become rivals when they both try to acquire something. There's really nothing new about it, and considering how some of the movies in this genre have turned out, it seems like it wouldn't be that good either. But really, when are we ever going to see a film that stars not just Captain Kirk from the recent reboot of Star Trek but Bane from The Dark Knight Rises as well? That's what got me interested. But, needless to say, this film doesn't start out that well. The humor fell flat and the whole romance aspect of the film was not working to its favor. But, after about half an hour, the film gets back on its feet and the end result is a decently entertaining film despite its flaws. The two friends in question here are CIA agents FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy), whose friendship is put to the test when they both get caught in a complicated situation. Tuck, having gone through a divorce, starts dating product testing executive Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). The two hit it off well until FDR starts dating her also, not realizing that Tuck is dating her too. Soon both realize the problem that they are in and although they initially agree not to interfere with each other, the two turn to sabotage as both desperately try to outdo each other in order to win Lauren's affections, no matter how crazy things get. Even when they are in the middle of searching for a criminal (Til Schweiger) who vows revenge on the two after an incident in Hong Kong. For the first 30 minutes of this film, it is very annoying and, dare I say, kind of painful to watch. Sure, the opening action sequence was entertaining but after that things started to go downhill really fast. The humor kind of felt like, well, the humor you normally see in a Michael Bay movie or an Adam Sandler comedy. Considering the former, it really isn't that surprising seeing how director McG is commonly referred to as the 'less successful' Michael Bay. I did find it funny though when a kid's father starts to threaten Tom Hardy because if Hardy was the character he was in 'Warrior' or what he will hopefully be in 'The Dark Knight Rises', he could kick that guy's butt in under a minute. Here, he's noticeably much smaller than he was in those movies. Anyway, the biggest problem with this film is the romance, and I'm not annoyed about it because its unrealistic,which it is. It's not because Tom Hardy's character is the more suitable guy for Reese Witherspoon's character, which he is. It's not because this is one of those situations that could be over in about five minutes, which it is. It's just that this romance reaches borderline stalker territory very fast. In the film, FDR is the womanizer the same way Kirk was in Star Trek. Tuck, on the other hand, is the nice guy. For one thing, when Tuck first dates Lauren, he doesn't use the CIA's equipment to track her like FDR does. But then, even Tuck uses it in order to monitor the progress between FDR and Lauren. When their co-workers question this, all they do is make an excuse like 'the Patriot Act' or something. They don't get in any trouble for this at all, which again would never happen. It just makes the two guys unlikeable which is pretty much how the formula goes for this type of movie. The emphasis on the romance is so big that the inclusion of the villain played by Schweiger is really unnecessary. But despite my problems with the film, it does get better. Once the two guys start to sabotage each other while they are on dates, it gets really entertaining. The humor also gets much better although the 'stalker-like' romance was still very creepy. I mean let's face it, the two guys are spies and anything with spies is fun to watch. But the best part of this movie would have to be the cast. Even if this was a rather poor script, the three leads still did a solid job fitting their roles well with what they had to work with. The shining stars of this picture are Pine and Hardy, who work off each other extremely well. Witherspoon does a solid job as well and Pine and Hardy both have good chemistry with her. So to put it simply, This Means War is one of those movies where if you rent it (which is what I recommend), skip the opening. If this film did not improve after that, then I would've given it a much lower score. I really didn't want to give it that because I was hoping that this film would be good but that opening nearly convinced to do so. Thankfully, things got better but that being said, it's rather hard for me to recommend this movie. There's stuff in it that works and other stuff that doesn't, namely the romance that is the main point of the whole film. If you're into spy stuff, then this film is for you. If you're into romantic comedy movies that just so happen to have action in them, then this film is for you. While I can't say I'm totally against what critics are saying, I do not believe that this is the worst film of 2012 so far. This Means War could have been a whole lot better, but for what it is, it's decent entertainment.

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