This Means War (2012) - Originally Written 7/5/2012

 This Means War (2012)

Watching the Movie: 

I thought it was about 25-30 minutes too long, and could have used a little more ass-kicking and cool spy stuff, but (my GF at the time) was entertained throughout. The suspension of disbelief is a little strong, especially with such crazy images as people still renting movies from video stores and actually TALKING on their cell phones.

Screening the Film:

 
Like most buddy movies, images of Freud's id and super-ego (right down to the unresolved trust issues from parental abandonment), "romantic comedy" imagery (information asymmetries, which is also a staple of "spy movie" imagery, so it's kind of a big theme here). Misappropriation and misuse of government resources (remember; the CIA is a government entity, which means all the hilarity and shenanigans that Tuck and FDR get themselves into is being paid for by the tax payer), like most spy movies, the use of gadgets and technology adds some historical context to the film. Finally, the overriding message of insecurity and self doubt, which rings somewhat hollow considering all three people in question are pretty much gorgeous.

Best Quotation:

"Don't chose the better guy, choose the guy that's gonna make you the better girl."

The Bottom Line:

When I first saw the trailer for TMW, I thought it was sheer genius if done properly. Combine an ass kicking buddy spy movie with a romantic comedy and BOOM, everyone goes home happy. The problem is not the mixture, the problem is the ratio, as the film is about 85-15 Rom-com to action flick, and the action flick portions seem pretty underwhelming in how easily Tuck and FDR dispatch their enemies. The super duper evil genius villain is basically brushed off as an afterthought. The leftover take away is the same "boy learns what girl likes, pretends to be that, lies about who they are, gives half assed apology and is immediately forgiven" that we've all seen a million times before; still it is done stylishly enough (McG is great for this in general) that we don't regret giving up two hours of our lives, and could probably do it again.

3 out of 5

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