“This Means War” stars Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon. It is set for release on Friday. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

“This Means War” built itself a strong foundation when it cast Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon as its three lead actors. In fact, if it weren’t for this taught trio, the whole film would crumble into a dusty matter of corny jokes and privacy invasion.

However, with its three charming leads, “This Means War” shoots through its faulty script and poor direction to deliver a feel-good romantic comedy that both males and females can enjoy.

The premise is simple. After a botched mission, two spies, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, are grounded and try to find love.

Hardy plays Tuck, the more brooding of the two spies, who tries to find love via online dating. Pine plays FDR, the ladies man of the two who sticks to traditional tactics to land a girlfriend.

Even though the two spies may have different approaches, through the divinity of Hollywood scriptwriting, Tuck and FDR fall for the same woman, Reese Witherspoon’s character Lauren.

Lauren is the archetype work-a-holic who is “too busy for love.” As a consumer researcher, Lauren also finds herself consumed with work. Small scenes hint to Lauren’s previous relationship dissolving after infidelity. After some relentless pressure from her friend Trish, played hilariously by Chelsea Handler, Lauren decides to open herself up to the dating world again. Little did she know what she was getting herself into.

Struck by cupid’s arrow, both FDR and Tuck fall for Lauren’s sunny blonde hair and intoxicating smile, and once the two spies find out they’re dating the same woman, the movie flies into a blistering pace full of spy vs. spy scenarios as FDR and Tuck compete for Lauren’s heart.

Considering that the story revolves around two competing spies, “This Means War” packs a heavy punch for a movie billed as a romantic comedy. While the action scenes may not be of the best quality, the fact that they are present (and abundant) speaks to the movie’s gender-friendly appeal.

Not only does the movie appeal to action-junkies, but thanks to comedian Chelsea Handler, the movie delivers some seriously funny scenes as well. Whether her character Trish is giving awful relationship advice or straddling her husband with a Cheeto in her mouth, Handler manages to chime in during the low points of “This Means Wars” and delivers laugh out loud one -liners with ease.

Considering that “This Means War” was directed by “Charlie’s Angel’s” McG, there is a noticeable amount of fluff that could have easily been stripped out. In fact, almost half of the film could have been misplaced in post-production and the audience wouldn’t even notice.

However Pine, Hardy and Witherspoon do a formidable job navigating through the fluff and coming off on-screen as honest, likeable and most importantly, fun.

While “This Means War” is in no way the next critical darling, the rom-com is certainly a much better film than what the trailer leads one to believe. With a charming cast, loads of action and a light heart, “This Means War” is a surprisingly enjoyable film.