Movie Analysis: This Means War

I chose to analyze the romantic comedy spy film This Means War. The film is based around two of the world’s deadliest CIA operatives FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Hansen (Tom Hardy) who also happen to be inseparable partners and best friends. While FDR is a player with no desire to settle down, Tuck is the hopeless romantic who is in search for real love. Their friendship quickly turns into a competition when they both begin to fall for the same women, Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). Trish (Chelsea Handler) is Lauren’s best friend who is the initiator of the relationship that begins between Lauren and Tuck. The majority of the movie is the two men competing against each other to win over Lauren, while at the same time Lauren is also playing the game and dating two men at once. While she has no idea the two men know each other, let alone are best friends, she slowly waits out her decision on which man to choose until the end of the film.

  

SCENE ONE (no clip):       

           The first scene I chose to analyze was when Trish made an online dating profile for Lauren. Lauren is to busy with her job to have time to date, so her friend Trish, who feels she needs to go out and find a man, decides she is going to help her out. This scene begins with Lauren walking into her office and all her men co-workers are making smirky looks after had seen her dating profile on the dating cite it'sfate.net. Lauren has no idea what was going on until she reaches her computer and sees the profile her friend made her filled with revealing pictures and false information about who she is.

According to the Kim at el.’s (2007) female courtship strategies, Trish seems to agree with them all. First, that women should objectify themselves, for example when she makes Laurens dating profile, she lists that Lauren is bi-curious and includes a picture of her in dolphin shorts because the “men will respond to that camel toe”. This also displays the male courtship strategy that women are valued primarily for their physical appearance (Kim et al. (2007) p. 151) and stereotyping men as being preoccupied with women’s bodies (Kim et al. (2007) p.150). Therefore, implying that if she looks physically appealing (sexually) that men will want to date her/ she will have a better chance with them. Kim et al.’s (2007) paper also touched on the courtship strategy that men are constantly consumed by sexual thoughts. This was displayed in the scene when Trish also states, “Guys want to know that you’re flexible and good at gymnastics.” This entire scene implies that all men do is look for a women based on their appearance and look for qualities that would imply they are good at sex. 

                                                       SCENE TWO:

The second excerpt I chose was a scene in the middle of the movie when Lauren and Trish are sitting down in the kitchen talking about getting into the “making decisions mode”. While Lauren is telling her about how perfect the two guys, Trish simply implies that it is impossible that there is nothing bad about either of them and forces her to pick out their flaws. This emphasizes on the stereotype that men cannot be perfect especially when it comes to a relationship.

Lauren says that FDR has “tiny girl hands, like little T-rex hands”. I feel this crosses over into the a bit into the male stereotype. While males are the ones to be portrayed to pick a girl based on physical appearance, in this being portrayed in this scene as the opposite and through a female character. This scene emphasized that in a relationship, females also look for physical qualities and follow the female sexual role that females are attracted to specific types (Ward (2005)). In this specific case, FDR is having one of his physical qualities, his hands,  compared to a girl. While having FDR in the scene to hear this, it is obvious that it puts a damper on his masculinity. This quality makes him seem less manly and can be interpreted as weak, where as men are suppose to be strong with bold features.  This brings up the Kim et al. (2007) male courtship codes of men are valued for their strength, wealth, and power (p. 153).

                                                    SCENE THREE:

            The final scene I looked at was in the middle of the film when the two men begin to get a little more competitive and fall out of their friendship. While trying to win her over after they find out they have only one more week to impress her and “win her over”, they proceed to the next step, to “acquire Intel”. I found this scene to be one of my favorites because it shows the extreme lengths men would go to simply just win. While in the beginning it was about getting the relationship, it now just becomes more of competition between the two men. As you will see in the clip, both men are getting their team involved to find out everything about Lauren; what she likes, what she hates, what makes her cry, etc. This displays the negative male stereotype about their inability to, for example, remember important dates, and lack the commitment it takes to really get to know a woman. This male commitment was talking about in Kim et al. (2007) as well (p.153).

            According to Ward (1995), this scene also displays recreational orientation relationship. Within this orientation, Ward quoted “the most common theme was that sexual relations are a competition” and “this category perpetuate a “battle-of-the-sexes” attitude, with men and women as competitors who strategize about and manipulate each other (p. 607-608).” 

This friendly comical competition was displayed while FDR was in the attempt to impress her with his “fake” knowledge about art, Tuck decides to trick him into saying some weird and dirty comments while trying to describe the history of a painting. There are many scenes where this competition is portrayed, however, I felt this one showed it directly. Ward (1995) also discussed the male sexual roles when it came to relationships and sexuality. It was said that men are deviant and will play tricks in order to win that final prize. This whole scene is displaying that the men are doing whatever it takes to win Lauren over. They are pretending to know and be something they are not. This directly correlates by to Kim et al. (2007) male courtship strategy that men use active and powerful strategies to win a women’s affection (p.152). Both the men were very assertive about the romantic interests of Lauren.

            I feel the overall narrative of the film This Means War contradicts an appropriate female behavior as well as reversing some sexual roles as well as the courtship strategies that are described by Kim et al (2007). The film is communicating that it is acceptable for women to be promiscuous when it has to do with finding what she really wants in loves and in a relationship. Lauren is accepting her sexuality and being the one to control outcome of her relationships between the two men. Also by going out and exploring options, finding out what she is attracted to and discovering what she isn't. The film doesn't show all the female emotions that is stereotyped to come along with a relationship, however, it does emphasis on the stereotype that women need boyfriends to feel as if their life is complete.  While in the end of the movie when it came down to making a decision, sex was the final tiebreaker. Therefore, portraying that sex is what it comes down to and what “makes” the relationship for both sexes not just males as it is stereotyped to be. As a final analysis, while sweet, safe, and charming are qualities that one would assume to define the perfect man, in the end, as many of the readings emphasize, the more aggressive man wins.

Work Cited

Kim, J. L., Sorsoli, C. L., Collins, K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D.,  & Tolman, D. L. (2007). From Sex to Sexuality: Exposing the Heterosexual Script on Primetime Network Television. Journal of Sex Research, 44, 145-157.

Ward, L. M. (1995). Talking About Sex: Common Themes About Sexuality in the Prime-Time Television Programs Children and Adolescents View Most. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24, 595-614.

Kinberg, S., Lassiter, J., Simonds, R., Smith, W. (Producers) & McG. (Director). (2012). This Means War [Motion picture]. United States: Wonderland Films.