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Ah, the eternal battle of finding a movie that will appeal to men and women alike. They are few and far between to be sure, but occasionally Hollywood gets it right and releases something that can appeal to both sexes. Though most guys can be talked into watching Die Hard any day of the week, few women are going to sit through John McClane fighting European thieves and wisecracking about his estranged wife. On the flip side, can any guy honestly say he enjoys The Notebook?

This past week, This Means War opened in theaters and it is one of the rare films that both men and women will likely enjoy. Though the movie is filled with plenty of action (and one very bad ass car chase), it also features a decent romantic plot as well. Tuck (Tom Hardy) and FDR (Chris Pine) are CIA operatives and best friends who both fall for the same girl, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). What ensues is the greatest show of one-upmanship ever seen since the men have every toy in the government’s artillery at their disposal.

The bromance between Pine and Hardy is not only believable, but pretty damn funny. Hardy, this century’s Bruce Willis, has become one of the Hollywood’s biggest stars after appearing in Inception and Warrior (last year’s most underrated film). If nothing else, hope that your girlfriend or wife falls in love with Hardy which might convince her to go see The Dark Knight Rises when it comes out in July.

It’s also nice to see Witherspoon back doing a decent comedy and, let’s be honest, she’s not bad to look at. Plus, you’ve got Chelsea Handler really pushing the PG-13 rating as Witherspoon’s sexually frustrated married friend.

So, if you need something to see this weekend and can’t decide on anything, give This Means War a shot. It’s not the greatest movie ever made (not by a long shot), but maybe the minimal action sequences in this movie will prepare her to one day sit down and watch Die Hard from beginning to end.

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Written by: Matthew Newlin on February 22, 2012.