Das gibt Ärger

Die weiblichen Charaktere sind langweilig und kreischen bis zum sprichwörtlichen Abnippeln, McG ist abermals seinem Ruf eines enormen Routiniers nachgekommen, der es vermag, schöne Musik und cheesy Kulissen auszuwählen, jedoch gerät bereits ein wenig in Schwierigkeiten, wenn er das ganze ins Rollen bringen soll. Das Drehbuch ist voller schwachsinniger Phrasen und weiblicher Weisheiten, für die man, um es ganz hart zu formulieren, obligatorisch direkt auf die Strafbank der Wechseljahre geschickt werden sollte. Doch Pine und Hardy sind so "toll" und es funkelt derart zwischen ihnen, dass da jede Heterosexualität verschwindet ... Was pfuscht ihnen denn überhaupt Witherspoon in diese romantische Spionenverbindung dazwischen? Ihr "registriertes" Kleingezanke zu beobachten, ist nahezu ebenso unterhaltsam, wie sich das Aufeinanderprallen von Law mit Downey anzusehen. Obwohl der Drehbuchautor weder mit Charisma noch dem Engagement der Schauspieler nachkommt ... Dies ist auch deshalb eine angenehme Unterhaltung, weil es die beiden schaffen, aus einer langweiligen Oberflächlichkeit ein nicht alltägliches Vergnügen zu machen (Pine als Experte für Klimt? Das nehme ich!). (10.02.2012)

Ein entspannter Flirt-Film. Der Agenten-Plot spielt hier keine große Rolle, das Wichtigste ist das Funken zwischen den Figuren und die Witzigkeit der Episoden, in denen sie sich treffen. Als eine kurze Unterhaltung schafft der Film beides, aber man behält ihn nicht lange im Gedächtnis. Die Agenten Brad und Angelina, deren Erfolg bestimmt die Entstehung dieses Häppchens angeregt hat, hatten ein bisschen mehr Pep. (26.02.2012)

A hyper-stylised romantic comedy somewhat inadvertently framed as a spy-action flick and taking the rivalry of two suitors a bit more literally. As is slowly becoming the rule in post-Apatow relationship movies, the sparks fly more strikingly between friends of the same sex than between a man and a woman, which is also due to the episodic structure of the romantic plot (the impression of sitcom-like scenes is reinforced by the use of pauses between the “scenes”). Like the lead actors, the screenwriters revel in the testosterone-fuelled, technophilic “my toys are better than yours” pissing match between two guys who have a shared mother figure in the form of their strict boss. (It’s worth noting that co-screenwriter Simon Kinberg’s credits include the not dissimilar Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.) Unfortunately, they only stick with ideas that they don’t further develop, which is most regrettable in relation to the central twist given to the standard romcom formula. Contrary to the usual way of doing things, neither of the potential partners is a bit of a cretin – the screenwriting solution to this dilemma is to make the man a bit of a cretin by pushing him aside. Also, the attempt at duality in the mould of Hitchcock, who is referenced here as ostentatiously and unimaginatively as Scorsese is (a long shot in a bar), comes across as mechanical: two male friends, two female friends, scenes that are similar in content but in different settings... The action scenes are just as sloppy as the heterosexual flirting, as McG didn’t do a very good job of maintaining the continuity of the individual shots (the climax on the highway with the shooting going into a turn?). Given the film’s concept of overdoing things instead of pretending to be something (which makes it reminiscent of Knight and Day, whose bombast I found more believable), these shortcomings do not essentially hinder the straightforward entertainment. However, not even the charisma of Tom Hardy, whose Britishness I consider a major plus (unlike the presence of Witherspoon), can erase the fact that watching such products of the MTVisation of Hollywood falls into the same category of activities as breathing – after a while, you stop noticing that you’re doing anything. 50% (10.02.2012)

McG should be a guarantee of a decent, effective action. He’s not. This was rather mediocre and the only real bomb comes with Tom Hardy’s scene on the paintball field. Otherwise, it’s awfully average. And as far as humor goes? There could have been a lot of irony in the dialogues, but in reality, there was a lot less than I expected. The only plus of the movie are the actors themselves. Chris Pine whom I hadn’t known before was okay and Tom Hardy was downright excellent. Reese was a bit of a makeweight, but I didn’t mind her, either. Overall, this movie is the most mediocre average I’ve ever seen. But even despite that, it’s still pretty watchable. (22.10.2012)

Nicely shot, with a typical video-clip style, overexposed and relatively entertaining. But at its core, it is a very flat film. I would expect more action, less romance, but it was exactly the opposite. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are great likeable characters, and Reese Witherspoon is not bad either. The chemistry between them works great, so, apart from a few digital mistakes and boring scenes, I had a pretty good time, knowing that it is a predictable and essentially undemanding nonsense. (20.08.2012)