PG-13, 2 hr. Directed By:
McG.
Release Date: Feb 14, 2012.
It’s very true that McG has released
some terrible movies on an only partially suspecting public, but This Means War, wasn’t one of them. The movie certainly has its faults: it’s utterly predictable, poorly researched,
and filled with decent actors rehashing the same roles from other movies (every
movie ever for Reese Witherspoon and James T. Kirk for Chris Pine). This isn’t going to be a movie that makes me
hold my breath next February. Like every
McG movie, well, ever, this isn’t going to be a movie that makes me hold my
breath come next February when the Academy will be doing its
consideration. But, this was one hell of
a fun movie, I’m going to say it. I
enjoyed this in a way that I haven’t enjoyed that many movies this year.
This may be the best date movie
ever, and I’m a little bitter that I ended up seeing this by myself. I’m also bitter that I’m new to Dallas, and
that I haven’t established myself socially yet, so I’m totally going to miss
this best date movie ever opportunity… unless something crazy happens in the
next few weeks, which I doubt.
So what did I like? I actually thought they did a decent job
creating a believable set up for the love triangle between Hardy, Pine, and
Witherspoon. The action sequences were pretty
decent, and there is not only a great fist fight between the two leading men,
there are a few good shoot outs, and the dialogue and scenarios are frequently
funny. So funny, in fact, that the guy
behind me was laughing to the point where he started to stifle himself and his
laugh sounded like he was a six-year-old girl.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a “comedy” where the audience was
actually laughing. The last time may
have been… Bridesmaids, but I might
be shunning something that came between then and now. I’ve seen the critics’ reviews, and I’m now
convinced that they’re a bunch of bozons.
At some point you have to counterbalance the technique with the effect,
and This Means War certainly
delivered what I needed today: some pure
joy. It’s been cold, gray, and rainy
here in Dallas, and I wasn’t in the mood for serious.
With the exception of the first
twenty or thirty minutes, this was a blast.
Is it an intellectual challenge?
Nope. Did I get sucked in to the
performances? Nope. But, again, there was enough fun here to make
me forget all that. I may consider
buying this when it comes out on DVD, and lately, that’s been a rare deal.
