This Means War runs like a silly Bollywood masala film without the song and dance. And it works too in bits and pieces, especially when the leads—Chris Pine and Tom Hardy—banter and their shared charisma takes attention away from a lackluster hackneyed plot.

Tuck (Hardy) is sensitive, divorced, has a son and masks a front as a traveling travel agent. FDR (Chris Pine) is a smooth operator (the song by Sade also makes multiple appearances). He cheekily sells himself as a cruise ship captain—an open-ended pun on Pine’s recent turn as a Star Ship captain in Star Trek.

Both are best buds and super spies—and they both fall for the same girl. She is Lauren (Reese Witherspoon), a slightly self conscious, product-testing executive who’s off the dating game (she fears she’ll attract stalkers and killers). As if things weren’t hunky dory, she bumps into her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily engaged.

Once the two meet her, they go on an all-out war, challenging the other in a ‘gentleman’s duel’ to win her over. As undercover agents, they hack-and-track her background with CIA’s unlimited government resources. The ‘friends’ also keep an eye on the other’s progress with her as well—but only to sabotage advances.

As both are spies, a gimmicky subplot involving a generic Russian arms dealer Heinrich (Til Schweiger), appears at the start and end of the film to fill its quota of action.

The unimaginative script from Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg keeps it safe and insipid. The film is indubitably burdened under yesteryears releases Knight and Day, The Killers and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (the last one also written by Kinberg).

Despite the obvious, McG directs smartly. Having experience from another cool spy franchise, Charlie’s Angels, he lets the actors take the floor with the silliest of scenarios, letting Pine and Hardy hit it off in blazing glory—right down to the corny climax!

Released by 20th Century Fox and Mandviwalla Entertainment, This Means War is rated PG. There’s a little sensuality and some spy action. But mainly it’s the slapstick rom-com covering that earns the film its popcorn money during a lazy weekend. — Farheen Jawaid