This Means War is a 2012 American romantic comedy spy movie directed by McG, produced by Will Smith, and starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, and Til Schweiger. The story follows two best friends who work as CIA agents, Franklin "FDR" Foster (Pine) and Tuck Hansen (Hardy), who find out they are both dating the same woman (Witherspoon).

Production for This Means War began in 1998 when 20th Century Fox bought the script and planned to have Martin Lawrence star in the film.

The movie was released in theaters by Fox on February 17, 2012. Critics gave the film mostly negative reviews, saying the editing, humor, and writing were not good. However, the performances of the three main actors were praised. The film earned $156.5 million worldwide, even though it cost $65 million to make.

Plot

CIA agents and close friends Franklin "FDR" Foster and Tuck Hansen are sent to Hong Kong to stop international criminal Karl Heinrich from obtaining a weapon of mass destruction. The mission fails, and Heinrich's brother, Jonas, is killed. Heinrich vows revenge against them. After returning to the United States, their boss, Collins, assigns them to desk duty for their safety.

Tuck is divorced and has a young son named Joe. After attending one of Joe's karate classes, Tuck tries to reconnect with his family but is turned away by his ex-wife, Katie. Tuck sees an advertisement for an online dating service and signs up. He matches with Lauren Scott, a product-testing executive who is dealing with the recent engagement of her ex-boyfriend. Her best friend, Trish, signed her up for the dating website. FDR insists on being Tuck's backup for the date and hides nearby, but Tuck and Lauren get along well.

FDR meets Lauren at a video store and tries to flirt with her, but she ignores him. Curious, FDR joins one of Lauren's test groups and convinces her to go on a date with him. FDR and Tuck learn they are both dating the same woman and decide not to tell her they know each other, letting her choose between them.

The date with FDR starts poorly, and Lauren leaves in anger. After arguing with FDR, Lauren sees her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée approaching. Desperate, Lauren kisses FDR and lies to her ex, claiming they are a couple. FDR agrees to play along. Later, FDR and Lauren have a serious conversation and begin to connect. After dating both men several times, including FDR taking her to privately view a collection of Gustav Klimt's artworks, Lauren feels guilty and gives herself a week to decide.

Both men listen to Lauren's phone calls to spy on her when she is on dates with the other. They hear her tell Trish that she plans to have sex with both men to decide who is right for her. This causes both men to take steps to prevent her from sleeping with the other. FDR learns that Heinrich has arrived in town to kill them. He interrupts Tuck's date with Lauren to warn him, but Tuck does not believe him. They fight, and Lauren discovers they are best friends. She leaves with Trish, but both women are kidnapped by Heinrich and his men, who are chased by FDR and Tuck.

FDR and Tuck rescue Lauren and Trish after a car chase. Following Lauren's advice, they shoot out the headlights on Heinrich's SUV, causing the car to crash toward them. With Lauren standing in the path of the SUV, FDR and Tuck, on opposite sides of the road, urge her to join them. She chooses FDR's side, and Heinrich dies when his car crashes. Lauren decides to be with FDR, and Tuck reconciles with him. Later, Joe is at his karate lesson with Tuck when Katie arrives to pick him up. Tuck and Katie reintroduce themselves and she invites him out for a family meal.

Soon after, FDR and Tuck go on a mission. As they prepare to jump out of a Chinook helicopter, FDR reveals he will marry Lauren and asks Tuck to be his best man. He admits he had sex with Katie before she met Tuck but no longer feels guilty because Tuck had sex with Lauren. Tuck reveals they did not have sex and angrily pushes FDR out of the helicopter.

Cast

• Chris Pine plays Franklin "FDR" Foster, a man who dates many women but later falls in love with Lauren
• Tom Hardy plays Tuck Hansen, a father who is divorced and also develops feelings for Lauren
• Reese Witherspoon plays Lauren Scott, a manager who tests products for a company and is loved by both FDR and Tuck
• Warren Christie plays Steve, Lauren's former boyfriend
• Til Schweiger plays Karl Heinrich, a criminal from another country who seeks revenge against FDR and Tuck
• Chelsea Handler plays Trish, Lauren's best friend who supports her decision to continue dating both men
• John Paul Ruttan plays Joe, Tuck's young son
• Abigail Spencer plays Katie, Tuck's former wife
• Angela Bassett plays Collins, the boss of both FDR and Tuck
• Rosemary Harris plays Nana Foster, FDR's grandmother who raised him after his parents passed away
• Jenny Slate plays Emily, Lauren's assistant
• Michael Papajohn plays a German criminal
• Rebel Wilson plays an actress who portrays Tuck's sister (in an extended scene)
• David Koechner plays an actor who portrays Tuck's father (in an extended scene)

Production

In May 1998, 20th Century Fox announced it had purchased Marcus Gautesen's script titled This Means War, with Martin Lawrence set to star. The original story involved two best friends who began arguing after a young woman moved into their spare room, causing major problems in New York City. According to Entertainment Weekly, the script was written more than ten years earlier. Bradley Cooper, Seth Rogen, and Sam Worthington reportedly turned down the lead role, as did Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock earlier. Screenwriter Larry Doyle said he read the script in 1998, and the story at that time featured protagonists who were video game designers with access to guided missiles.

In February 2010, it was reported that director McG was in talks to lead the film, which by then had Bradley Cooper and Reese Witherspoon attached to star. The story had been rewritten to focus on two spies and lifelong friends who argue after falling in love with the same woman. In July 2010, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine were cast in the lead roles after Cooper left due to scheduling issues.

Filming took place in Vancouver and Steveston, British Columbia. The Martial Arts Centre in Steveston was used as the "Nakamura West Side Dōjō."

In January 2012, This Means War received an R-rating from the MPAA. Fox appealed the decision, but the rating was upheld due to sexual jokes from Chelsea Handler's character. An edited version of the film was later resubmitted and received a PG-13 rating.

Release

The movie This Means War was originally set for a wide release on February 14, 2012. However, 20th Century Fox delayed the opening to February 17, 2012, to avoid direct competition with Screen Gems’ The Vow, which was expected to be very successful on Valentine’s Day. Instead, the film had a sneak preview on Tuesday evening at 2,000 to 2,500 locations nationwide. During its first weekend, ending February 19, it opened at number five in the box office rankings, earning $17.4 million from 3,189 locations. It was behind Safe House, The Vow, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. The following weekend, it dropped to number seven, earning $8.4 million, and was behind new releases Act of Valor and Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds. After a 17-week theatrical run, the film earned $54,760,791 in the United States and $101,730,488 internationally, for a total worldwide revenue of $156,491,279. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on May 22, 2012, with a rating of PG-13.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, This Means War has a score of 24%, based on reviews from 180 critics, with an average score of 4.50 out of 10. The site’s consensus states, "A career low point for all three of its likable stars, This Means War is loud, poorly edited, and neither romantic nor funny." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, which indicates "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an A− grade on a scale from A to F.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described the film as "an action-filled romantic comedy […] ruined by a lack of humor, heart, and a clear purpose." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "an unskilled, silly action comedy" that was "so bad it is nothing but bad." He noted that Witherspoon lacked the "strong natural attractiveness" needed to make her character believable. Richard Roeper of ReelzChannel said the film was "one of the worst movies of this or any other year" and criticized Handler’s appearance and delivery of lines.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter suggested the film "should be sent back for a reshoot" because it "embarrasses its three attractive leading actors in every scene." He criticized Handler’s performance, saying she "did not create a believable character." James Berardinelli of ReelViews dismissed the film as "a 98-minute music video without the music — all style and little heart," joking that "we keep hoping the bad guy will appear and shoot" the main characters.

Claudia Puig of USA Today said the film’s "funny action scenes become boring and rarely mix well with the silly comedy." She noted that McG, the director, "seems unsure whether to make a spy action movie with romance or a romantic comedy with action." Mary Pols of Time criticized the film’s "weak chemistry" and said the pairing of Witherspoon and Handler "did not work." Peter Debruge of Variety said Tom Hardy and Chris Pine "focused too much on outdoing each other" and questioned whether the film’s "over-the-top style" prevented them from performing well.

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said she "enjoyed the film’s chaotic energy" and noted that, while "made quickly and roughly," it "includes many things that keep the story moving." Tom Long of The Detroit News called the film "simple and silly" with "some light humor" and believed "the messy, silly story works." Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times warned that "if you can ignore the film’s invasion of privacy," there "are some sweet moments" and praised Hardy and Pine for "bringing energy to the screen whenever they appear together."

Accolades

John Paul Ruttan, who played the character Joe, who is Tuck's son, was nominated for a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor Ten and Under."