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THIS MEANS WARMovie Reviews
Comedy about two CIA operatives who are best friends until they fall for the same woman and begin using their high-tech skills against one another to win her over. Cast:Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon, Chelsea Handler, Til Schweiger, Abigail SpencerDirector:McGRelease Date:February 17, 2012DVD Release:May 22, 2012From:20th Century FoxRating:PG-13Length:2 hr. 0 min.
This Means War played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Mary Pols wrote in Time, "...smarmy... What is the compulsively watchable star of 'Freeway,' 'Election,' 'Legally Blonde' and 'Walk the Line' doing in immature garbage like this?" • And Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "There's nothing serious going on here, folks. Don't bother to think too much about it. But if you want some nice light yuks..." More Reviews Below...
This Means War Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "What FDR and Tuck end up doing to each other is legitimately hilarious... But what they do to Lauren is so unfathomably, unpardonably creepy, it should be prosecuted."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 180 words, 02/09/12
Mary Pols, Time: POOR "...smarmy... What is the compulsively watchable star of 'Freeway,' 'Election,' 'Legally Blonde' and 'Walk the Line' doing in immature garbage like this?"(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 02/17/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...more tolerable than it ought to be.... you've got your sport utility vehicles tumbling in slow motion, your gravity-defying shootouts and your obligatory explosions galore."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 02/16/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Shameless fun!... finds its groove as the buddies use their intelligence to sabotage each other's dates.... The alluring, trim Witherspoon has never looked better."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 127 words, 02/16/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...may have been hammered together by brute Hollywood force, but there's this going for it: It's game to throw in anything that'll keep the motor running."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 02/17/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: WEAK(cg) "If there's anything I hate more than a stupid action comedy, it's an incompetent stupid action comedy. It's not so bad it's good. It's so bad it's nothing else but bad."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 02/17/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "...a droopy love triangle seriously short on sexual chemistry, not to mention the kind of playful self-awareness that can spice up even the blandest romantic comedy."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 02/15/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...all splash and little heart. A lot of romantic comedies fail because they're too saccharine. 'This Means War' could have used a little more of that."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 958 words, 02/15/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...strained, largely mirthless... would be perfectly acceptable watched on the back of an airline seat or at home while you're doing housework."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 02/17/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...depressingly mean-spirited.... Witherspoon is constantly forced to act like an insecure teen.... the whole thing is slick and handsome and rotten at the core."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 02/14/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a hit-and-miss affair... if you are in the mood for action, there is a whole lot of it here.... this is war after all, a bromance, not a romance, muscle, not mush."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 02/17/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Nearly totally laugh-, chemistry- and coherence-free... has a script whose sensible parts would fit on a napkin with enough room left over for the Gettysburg Address."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 02/17/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: POOR(cg) "...pure, witless discombobulation.... note to Witherspoon: this is the sort of consumer product you're supposed to test before you win an Academy Award, not after."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 02/17/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: WEAK(cg) "If there's anything I hate more than a stupid action comedy, it's an incompetent stupid action comedy. It's not so bad it's good. It's so bad it's nothing else but bad."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 02/17/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...acts straightaway like it has an audience eating out of its hand, while neglecting to do anything surprising or delightful to actually seduce that audience."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 02/15/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...this is late-night talk-show host and comic Chelsea Handler's flick as she steals every scene she's in, contributing the only real laughs to this rote popcorn muncher."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 02/17/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "It's a bad sign when a film which aims only for froth can't achieve more than moments of embarrassment, punctuated with sporadic agitation."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 579 words, 02/17/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "The script is nonsensical even for an outsized action movie, with a nasty streak that finds characters actively endangering each other for cheap laughs."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 02/16/12
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...sloppy, scattered, utterly synthetic... it becomes increasingly clear that the romantic tension at play exists mostly between the men in question."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 02/17/12
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "McG, auteur of the 'Charlie's Angels' films, is not blessed with finesse.... aims low but provides the basic movie pleasure of seeing good-looking people looking good."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 02/17/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...the worst McG film yet... brings his pummeling touch to one of the most unnecessary, audience-abusing, incoherent, stupefyingly dumb movies of our young century."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 02/17/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "...it's OK, but you would think that with Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy on board for a romantic comedy, some sparks would fly. They don't..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 02/17/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: WEAK(cg) "...this isn't a romantic comedy. This is two dopey kids tussling at the family dinner table, with Reese Witherspoon as the wishbone they're fighting over."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 02/14/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "Witherspoon, Pine and Hardy aren't playing people, or even exaggerations of people, but subhumans, smiling veneers with physical needs... but no souls."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 02/17/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...a toxic triangle where the only satisfying outcome would be mutual annihilation.... Even by the standards of light entertainment, 'This Means War' is meaningless."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 02/17/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has Reese Witherspoon continuing her strange quest to be Meg Ryan, fluttery and easily led by the heart.... Everyone tries hard. Too hard."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 02/16/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "There's nothing serious going on here, folks. Don't bother to think too much about it. But if you want some nice light yuks, 'This Means War' should do the trick."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 02/17/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...acts straightaway like it has an audience eating out of its hand, while neglecting to do anything surprising or delightful to actually seduce that audience."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 02/15/12
Sean O'Connell, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...can't decide if it's an action-thriller with a little romance mixed in, or a formulaic rom-com with one or two memorable action set pieces.... it whiffs completely on both..."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 02/14/12
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...quickly devolves into 'Spy vs. Spy' territory, only with incompetently staged and edited action and little of that ol' Mad magazine zing."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 02/16/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: POOR(cg) "McG tries to turn this into a cool pop confection along the lines of his 'Charlie's Angels' movies. But pouring on the douchey hipness and charm only makes things worse."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 404 words, 02/16/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: WEAK(cg) "...lay back and bask in the movie-star wattage of the cast, which is considerable and unexpected, and try not to pay attention to anything they're actually doing or saying."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 907 words, 02/16/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "The script is nonsensical even for an outsized action movie, with a nasty streak that finds characters actively endangering each other for cheap laughs."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 02/16/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hardy are better than the material and Chris Pine proves blandly handsome in a Ben Affleck sort of way."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 02/22/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...strained, largely mirthless... would be perfectly acceptable watched on the back of an airline seat or at home while you're doing housework."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 02/17/12
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: POOR "All the performers seem more than game... But with the material they're given, they mostly just seem foolish for showing up to the movie to begin with."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 02/16/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a hit-and-miss affair... if you are in the mood for action, there is a whole lot of it here.... this is war after all, a bromance, not a romance, muscle, not mush."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 02/17/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a hit-and-miss affair... if you are in the mood for action, there is a whole lot of it here.... this is war after all, a bromance, not a romance, muscle, not mush."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 02/17/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "It is as if Witherspoon, Pine, Hardy, and the rest are crying out to the audience: 'Save us from this madness! Save us from McG!' "(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 02/13/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "...strained, largely mirthless... would be perfectly acceptable watched on the back of an airline seat or at home while you're doing housework."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 02/17/12
22.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
This Means War's reviews are separated by an average 22.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
This Means War (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:This Means War's reviews cover 91.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,430 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 553 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
This Means War Coverage, Volume & Length (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 37.8 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
This Means War's reviews on average broke 37.8 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is This Means War's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
This Means War (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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