I like Kristen Bell, she’s a young, fresh and talented actress, I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, and I’m sure she’ll continue to make a few more decent movies. Unfortunately When in Rome is one film that I just cannot get on board with.
The Plot
Beth is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, on a whirlwind trip to Rome, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love, and is then aggressively pursued by a band of suitors.
The Thoughts
From the opening scenes we get what could be a promising movie, but everything goes downhill from when Bell actually enters Rome for her sister’s wedding. Everything up to this point could well be believable but from the point all those ‘Italian’ losers (played by well-known American actors) fall in love with Bell, I wondered if this movie could ever gain back it’s credibility.
When in Rome is full of unintelligent slapstick beginners comedy that we really shouldn’t call comedy – it’s all been seen before and was quite honestly scraping the bottom of the barrel. I lost count at how many times I’d seen ‘that’ joke in a movie.
When in Rome has a host of well known actors who I just didn’t care for (not even Bell who I usually find somewhat charismatic) in fact some of the characters I hated so much I found myself groaning in annoyance at the sight of their very presence in this movie. Josh Duhamel (Transformers) as Bell’s love interest Nick, looks uncomfortable, like the words that are coming out of his own mouth he himself can’t quite believe them. Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), who plays the magician Lance, cannot act in this role. Danny DeVito (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest) though sweet, made me want to projectile vomit with his cliché sad-old-man-that-wants-to-be-loved character. Bell tries hard to gel this movie together but everything else is just working against her – good and respectable actors are let down by a bad predictable story.
Only see this if you have to – you know like if someone is holding a gun to your head.
The Film Buzz Rating: 
(3.5/10)
UK Release Date: 25th June 2010
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writer’s: David Diamond, David Weissman
Links: IMDB, Official Site
