Revisited - This Means War (2012)

I was browsing movies not too long ago on my TV and happen to stumble upon this gem. Of course, I've seen this movie before countless times and feel like it's one of those movies that can be watched at any time and at any mood. For example, your not going to just go out and watch The Joker or There Will Be Blood because you just want to as well as your not going to watch a comedy when your in a bad mood after a breakup. However, there are movies like this one, National Treasure, or even White House down where its a popcorn flick/action flick that can be watched anytime in any mood and as many times as you want without you getting bored by it. It's just one of those rare movies where you enjoy it and enjoy seeing it pop up even though you seen it before.

CIA agents and best friends Franklin "FDR" Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Hansen (Tom Hardy) are deployed to Hong Kong to prevent international criminal Karl Heinrich (Til Schweiger) from acquiring a weapon of mass destruction, but the mission goes awry, resulting in the death of Heinrich's brother, Jonas. Heinrich swears vengeance against them. Upon returning to America, their boss, Collins (Angela Bassett) assigns them to desk duty for their protection.

FDR is a womanizer, whose cover is a cruise ship captain, while Tuck, who presents himself as a travel agent, has an ex-wife, Katie (Abigail Spencer) and a young son, Joe (John Paul Ruttan), who believes his dad knows nothing of fighting. Tuck goes to Joe's karate lesson, where Joe loses his match and feels dejected. Tuck tries to give Joe advice but Joe rolls his eyes and asks how he would know since he is just a travel agent. Tuck walks Joe to the car, where he attempts to rekindle his connection to his family, but Katie makes excuses as to why they can't go out for supper together.

After being rebuffed by Katie, Tuck sees a commercial for online dating. He decides to sign himself up and is paired with Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon), a product-testing executive who is dealing with the recent engagement of her ex-boyfriend. Her best friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler) enrolled her in the same online dating website. FDR insists on being Tuck's backup for the date and hides nearby, but Tuck and Lauren hit it off right away.

Shortly thereafter, FDR runs into Lauren at a video store and tries to flirt with her, not knowing she's Tuck's date. She surmises that he's a ladies' man and ignores him.

Intrigued, FDR crashes into one of Lauren's test groups and coerces her to go on a date with him. FDR and Tuck soon discover that they are seeing the same woman and decide not to tell her that they know each other, not to interfere with each other's dates and not to have sex with her, letting her instead come to a decision between them. Tuck takes Lauren on a date to a circus (after hours) where they swing on the trapeze and have a really great date.

The date with FDR does not go well at the start, with Lauren storming out of the club FDR takes her to. After arguing in the street, FDR walks away from Lauren but seconds later, Lauren sees her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée approaching.

Desperate, Lauren grabs FDR and kisses him. She lies to her ex that she and FDR are together, as FDR plays along with the ruse. Her ex and his fiancée both seem jealous at the passion displayed, and later move along. FDR demands that Lauren explain what just happened and suggests they grab some dinner at a nearby pizza parlor, where they talk seriously and hit it off. Later, after dating both men a few times Lauren feels guilty about dating both at the same time, but is persuaded by Trish to make the best of the situation until sure which to choose. Lauren gives herself a week to make up her mind.

By this time both men have bugged Lauren's home and cell phone so they can spy on her when she is on dates with the other one, they overhear her tell Trish that she is going to need to have sex with them both to decide which one is the right one. This leads to both men taking steps to ensure she does not sleep with the other. After a few more dates, Lauren and Trish discuss the pros and cons of dating more than one guy, especially since Tuck has told Lauren he loves her. Trish tells Lauren "don't pick the better guy, pick the guy that'll make you a better girl". After a while, Lauren invites Tuck to lunch, while FDR discovers that Heinrich has arrived in town to exact his revenge. He interrupts Lauren's date to warn Tuck but Tuck doesn't believe him. They engage in an extended fight, after which Lauren discovers that they are in fact best friends and, feeling made a fool of, leaves with Trish. At that moment, the women are kidnapped by Heinrich and his men, who are pursued by FDR and Tuck.

FDR and Tuck rescue Lauren and Trish after a car chase, in which they reveal that they are not who they say they are. On Lauren's advice, they shoot out the headlights on Heinrich's SUV, deploying the airbags and sending the car rolling out of control towards them all. With Lauren standing directly in the path of the approaching SUV, FDR and Tuck, on opposite sides of the road, urge her to come to their side and she is saved as she ultimately chooses FDR's side, while Heinrich dies when his car rolls off the elevated freeway and crashes below.

Lauren has decided to be with FDR and Tuck makes amends with him, as they declare their brotherly love for one another, and FDR says they're "family, and forever." Lauren and FDR kiss. The car chase is picked up by the news, and Katie and Joe see it. Joe tells his mom that his dad is not a travel agent. Later, Joe is at his karate lesson with Tuck when Katie comes to pick Joe up. Tuck and Katie reintroduce themselves to each other and she invites him out for supper as a family.

Shortly thereafter, FDR and Tuck go on a mission. They are about to parachute out of a Chinook helicopter when FDR reveals that he will be marrying Lauren, and asks Tuck to be his best man. He reveals that he had sex with Katie before she met Tuck, but no longer feels guilty about it because Tuck had sex with Lauren. Tuck, however, reveals that they did not go all the way and angrily tackles FDR out of the helicopter.

All in all, this is a movie that is worth watching and very likely not to disappoint you no matter what mood your in or how many times you've watched it already. It seems that the blend of action and rom com seems to be the perfect recipe for these type of movies and this movie does just that in delivering not something thats going to win Oscars but one that will be satisfying and a joy to watch the whole way through with its fun plot and fund performances by a stellar cast. This has been Revisited, thanks for reading. Ricardo Signing Off