This Means War

This romantic action comedy about a couple of CIA operatives who fight over a pretty woman obviously wants to channel the loony exuberance of old Looney Tunes shorts but fails miserably. It opens with the sort of razzle-dazzle set-piece that director McG specializes in—a splashy rooftop caper in which two James Bond-ish CIA partners—FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy)—break up an international villain's big score. The duo represent the very personification of jokey macho camaraderie…until they discover that they're both involved with Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). Although the pair agree to a “may the best man win” arrangement, they shred it almost immediately, using the agency's surveillance tools to discover Lauren's likes and dislikes and sabotage each other's dates with her. A romcom about stalking is a hard sell under any circumstances, but one that employs the government's anti-terrorist apparatus to spy on the object of one's affection requires a sharp satirical edge that is totally lacking here. Despite its engaging trio of stars and slick production values, this War fizzles out quickly. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director McG, deleted scenes with optional commentary (16 min.), two alternate endings with optional commentary (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are both the extended and theatrical versions of the film, an alternate opening with optional commentary (9 min.), a "Bachelorette Party" scene (4 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), an additional alternate ending (3 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing rom-com.] (F. Swietek)