Simply A Masterpiece

Fresh and Exciting

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

RELEASED IN 2010 and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, "When in Rome" stars Kristen Bell as Beth, a busy unlucky-in-love woman from New York City, who finally meets the man who can take her mind off work while vacationing in Rome (Josh Duhamel). Unfortunately Beth impulsively takes four coins from a reputed fountain of love, which magically attracts four suitors she doesn't want (Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Jon Heder & Dax Shepard).Speaking as someone who doesn't view many romcoms, I found this one quite watchable. I'm not too familiar with Bell because I've only seen her in two other films and they were minor roles ("Burlesque" and "Scream 4"), but she easily carries the movie with her star power, although she looks like she could use a few hamburgers.The movie puts its best foot forward with the kinetic first act, which mostly takes place in Rome and is the most humorous part of the movie, and sometimes hilarious (e.g. the "Cherry Pie" joke). The mid-section loses steam a bit as things get too mushy, but the movie perks up again in the last act. There's a memorable comical episode featuring a compact yellow European automobile. Jon Heder's magician character, Lance, is the most engaging suitor while DeVito's character (eventually) arouses sympathy.THE FILM RUNS 91 minutes and was shot in Rome, New York City and Santa Clarita, CA. WRITERS: David Diamond & David Weissman. ADDITIONAL CAST: Anjelica Huston plays Beth's humorless boss while Peggy Lipton & Don Johnson play her parents. Kate Micucci and Bobby Moynihan are on hand as the potential couple's best friends respectively. Alexis Dziena appears as Beth's sister.GRADE: B

When in Rome is a dismal rom com. Kristen Bell is a career woman who has found love elusive. At her sister's wedding in Italy she drunkenly takes out coins from Rome's 'Fountain of love' which leads to the men who threw those coins into the fountain to fall in love with her and they each stalk her back to New York.Josh Duhamel was the best man at her sister's wedding and he is also interested in Bell but she wonders if he really wants her or just bedazzled.Duhamel is charming with the little the script has given him, Bell is flat and two dimensional, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Jon Heder try to shine quirkily as the crazed suitors.There is some originality in the film like a restaurant set in darkness but the film so often falls for unfunny and unoriginal slapstick.

Just watched little bits of it as I skimmed thru. all the clichés are there, up and running and still alive. The romantic girl lead is an "aspirational" jet-setter who has no spots, despite living and working a hectic lifestyle. She has a fat girlfriend, a male gay friend and an unassuming boss. This is Mills and Boon updated for the 21st Century. So you are being peddled the old myth that all a successful working girl *really* wants is a Good man, pref Hetero, Solvent, Handsome and without visible impairment. I really got it from somewhere to test out the 1080p but really a Testcard would have more plot and better characters. Must buy Avatar or Prometheus. I really wonder why Janiston didn't get the gig as this is really on her wavelength. Maybe age catches us all. If shes lusting after a Bustin, she knows where to find me (jk).

With the economy the way it is I have figured out the exact way to make a few million dollars, it's really easy: I'll make a romantic comedy! All I need to do is have an annoying hard working bitter female who has given up on love, somehow finds it with bland purse accessory man, their romance falls in some way for 10 minutes but they find that they really do love each other and all ends well. Bam, I have at least 5 million dollars, only problem being that this way is too easy and other directors have beaten me to it. In this case we have When In Rome, a wonderfully pretentious and predictable romantic comedy that tries way too hard in the slap stick comedy department. Kristen Bell is still somewhat hot off the more humorous romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Hollywood is testing to see if she's leading lady material. Let me tell you something, if this is the first choice she's going to make to prove that she can bank in a big hit movie, she failed big time. The movie bombed hoping that this will lead to Hollywood giving up on the stupid predictable plots, non existent chemistry between two young hot actors who are getting by on looks and the most bland jokes in the world, When In Rome was just a bad movie.A successful and single art curator Beth is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford. Years of waiting for the perfect romance has made Beth bitter. One day, she flies to Rome to attend her younger sister Joan's impulsive wedding. She meets Nick, who rescues her in a couple of difficult situations but is just as much of a clumsy clod as she is. They hit it off well and reach a point where both parties take an interest in the other. Just as Beth convinces herself to believe in love again, she sees Nick kissing another woman, who turns out to be the groom's 'crazy cousin'. Slightly drunk, she picks up coins from the "fountain of love". She later learns from Joan that legend says, if you take coins from the fountain, the owner of the coin will fall in love with you. She has to return the coins to the fountain to break the spell.There are times where I really do want to be like my other girlfriends and think that these movies are so cute and sweet, it's a curse seeing so many movies at times because I guess I'm the stick in the mud when it comes to girl night and a movie. But I guess it's also a blessing because I'd rather see these movies for what they really are and honestly I hate to say it, but these romantic comedies are sick ways for Hollywood to make more money without putting any effort in. Kristen Bell doesn't work well as a lead actress and had no chemistry with the other actors. Her character wasn't likable at all and was so predictable, why do all these female characters have to be bitter? Come on, Kristen Bell having a hard time finding love? Not completely unrealistic but highly unbelievable still. She has a hard tough boss, the cute likable sister who was lucky enough to find love and the typical friends who have to encourage her to find love still. I know what you are thinking as you are reading my comment "Why if you hate romantic comedies so much, do you continue to watch them?", my answer is that I always have a little hope for film when I start watching it, but when I see it going in the same direction as the last time, when it's just another copy and paste story, that's when I give up. I just feel the need to warn the world of this sick plot to get innocent people's money, but I guess it's their choice and no I will not recommend this film if my life depended on it and it's forced uncomfortable humor.1/10