When computer programs become sophisticated enough to write and direct movies on their own, this may be the kind they create. Carefully designed with an easy-to-describe high concept—CIA agent pals fight over Reese Witherspoon—it’s the perfect entertainment to sell to men and women, whether they like a little comedy, a little romance, or a little action, and it’s unerringly pruned of any possible dull moments. Appealing up-and-comers Chris Pine (Star Trek’s Kirk) and Tom Hardy (Warrior, Inception) are a complementary womanizer/sensitive guy pair; both guys can kill a bunch of folks or destroy a restaurant or almost die and still manage to make a wisecrack right after. This isn’t exactly Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Of course, at least for awhile, you won’t expect a computer to create characters that seem like real people, or for the movie to spark the sorts of feelings one feels about real humans, but a certain type of formulaic humor will not be beyond the capacity of the machine. Most of the humor revolves around the males’ predictable attempts to undermine each other’s attempts at seduction, and one scene involving some private viewed, very expensive art definitely made me chuckle. (How being a CIA agent gives you access to million-dollar paintings, or how one might explain this to a date who thinks he’s a cruise-ship captain, is one of several such situations that go unexplained.)
It’s pretty certain the real CIA didn’t cooperate with this, since none of
their agents seems to have any qualms about spying on a coworker or
private citizens who happen to be dating the coworker. I longed for the scene in which Reese’s character finds out how much her dates have been lying to and spying on her, but maybe that’s in the sequel. Then again, she herself lies too, at first inventing a boyfriend to impress her ex, then avoiding telling either of two about the other. The most interesting thing for me was watching how the potential sexual complications would be handled. It’s okay for Chris Pine’s character to have a fuck buddy, but is letting Reese Witherspoon sleep with two guys at once acceptable? Hmm.
Actually, a computer didn’t make this film, although you could be forgiven for thinking that McG, which is what the director goes by, is one. He’s best known for the Charlie’s Angels films, and if you can think of something like that with a little more comedy replacing some action, you’ll have an idea of his approach. That is, this is pure Hollywood product, but with a slick competence; it’s silly but not cheesy, and never slow. I suspect it will be appealing, if quickly forgettable, to many people. The action scenes are too choppily edited, though. They’re just okay. Of the actors, Hardy has a certain charm, and Chelsea Handler invests her best-friend character with more personality than the leads.
As for the heroine’s dilemma, you won’t figure out who she winds up with by watching the date scenes—we never really see these characters connect, so any resolution would have made equal sense—but rather by using a simple romantic comedy truism, which is that no character, except a villain, can be allowed to be sad and alone at the end of the movie. Realize this and you can figure out what happens. (Hint: sadly, they don’t end up as a threesome.) In fact, though, you can skip the whole movie.
viewed 2/9/12 at Ritz East [PFS screening] and reviewed 2/9 and 2/10/12
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