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She's hot. Both the guys after her are hot.

But "This Means War," a spy vs. spy movie in which two CIA undercover agents compete for the same girlfriend, simmers without ever quite coming to a full boil. It's fun escapist fare, skating by on the personal appeal of its stars.

Reese Witherspoon is Lauren, a consumer products tester who has no personal life. Her boyfriend, whom she dumped after he cheated on her, shows up with a pretty new girlfriend, making Lauren feel like something of a loser.

Her best pal, happily married Trish (Chelsea Handler playing the same sassy, trash-talking persona she does on her TV talk show), insists Lauren get back in the game by putting her profile on a dating website.

Enter Tuck (Tom Hardy, "Inception"), whose wife left him because his secret identity and the job's demands put a wedge between them.

His best-pal CIA partner, FDR (Chris Pine, "Star Trek"), can't believe a secret agent would stoop to a dating website. As a ladies' man with (he thinks) all the moves, FDR offers backup and assistance to his buddy.

No, thanks, naturally. But the macho competitiveness that fuels the humor of the piece starts here. It gradually escalates after Lauren meets Tuck, then shortly afterward crosses paths with FDR at a video store. Suddenly she's gone from no boyfriend to two hotties chasing after her.

When the guys discover they're dating the same woman, they set gentlemen's rules for the pursuit, which — to put it mildly — they have trouble keeping.

All the CIA's surveillance tools are called upon as Tuck and FDR monitor, and occasionally sabotage, each other's dates with Lauren.

She, meanwhile, finds herself unable to choose between them. Trish, coaching Lauren through her dilemma, gets her share of laughs with bad advice and vicarious living.

This is a decent date movie, since both genders have someone to drool over. True, the ladies have two to fixate on, but the guys get a bonus action component as the movie tacks on a dangerous international criminal to keep things interesting, along with the physical warfare between Tuck and FDR.

Is it funny? Yeah, but not a howler. Is it sexy? Sure, but in a strictly PG-13 way. Is it a bit formula? Well, romantic comedy just about has to be.

Still, director McG ("Terminator Salvation," "Charlie's Angels") does a decent job of mixing things up by alternating scenes from a woman's point of view, then a man's, and serving up dashes of action to balance the mushy stuff. A restaurant fight and a freeway chase are decently choreographed.

None of it's particularly convincing. But it is entertaining.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1269, bob.fischbach@owh.com