What happened to Reese Witherspoon's career? In This Means War, a "cheesy" spy-flick–meets-romantic-comedy directed by Charlie's Angels' McG that hits theaters Friday, the once-acclaimed actress plays Lauren, the love object of best-bud CIA agents Tuck (Tom Hardy) and FDR (Chris Pine). Since winning the Best Actress Oscar for Walk the Line in 2006, Witherspoon has delivered a series of box office and critical disappointments, and few expect War to break the losing streak. As the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips advises Witherspoon in his review, "This Means War is the sort of consumer product you're supposed to test before you win an Academy Award, not after." Is she throwing away her talents?
What was Reese thinking? If movies had a scent, This Means War would "reek of cheap cologne," says Mary Pols in TIME. The "hyper saturated color and lighting scheme" makes everyone look bad, both FDR and Tuck are casually misogynistic, and even the promising pairing of "ladylike Oscar winner" Witherspoon with "foul-mouthed late night comedy queen" Chelsea Handler falls flat. Still, "the one to worry about is Reese Witherspoon." She's better than "immature garbage like this." Could she not "smell disaster?"
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