 "Photo: MCT Campus")
What's a girl to do when she has five different men vying for her affections, especially once these men start to become more like stalkers than loving courters?
Perhaps the new romantic comedy, When in Rome, can answer that question. Kristen Bell stars as Beth, a successful curator at the Guggenheim Museum, who always seems to pick the wrong guys. While in Rome for her younger sister's wedding, Beth meets Nick, played by Josh Duhamel, and begins to think that he may be the one.
Unfortunately, before she can sort out her feelings for Nick, a drunken Beth climbs into the "Fontana D'amore", cursing love and stealing five coins from the fountain. What Beth doesn't realize is that taking these coins causes the men who had originally tossed them into the fountain to fall madly in love with her.
Once she returns to New York, Beth is hotly pursued and even harassed by these spell-bound suitors. As Beth continues to thwart these men's advances, she finds herself in the arms of Nick, only to find out that he may also be under the fountain's magical spell. Beth must find a way to break the spell and find out if Nick's love is real, all while facing pressure from her menacing boss, appropriately played by Anjelica Houston, to put together the most fabulous art show of the year!
Packed with a hilarious cast, including John Heder, Danny DeVito, Dax Shepard, and Will Arnett as the group of love-stricken suitors, this film is surprisingly one of the best comedies to kick off the new year.
Scenes where the men relentlessly chase Beth throughout the city, as well as a miniature car race to the Guggenheim and the overall clumsiness exhibited by both Bell's and Duhamel's characters are sure to keep the audience rolling in laughter.
The film also introduces the concept of a truly blind date in a hysterical scene in which the characters eat at a restaurant with no lighting, obtaining lots of bruises and head injuries throughout their meal.
Wisecrack jokes from Nick's friend, Puck, played by SNL star Bobby Moynihan, add even more humor to the comedic mix. The film keeps the laughs coming as Efren Ramirez, known for his role as Pedro in the 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite, returns as Heder's sidekick. The brief bantering between the two is reminiscent of famous scenes from the sleeper-hit film.
The humor certainly makes the movie, as the film is a bit lacking in the romance department. While there is chemistry between Bell and Duhamel, one finds their instant "love" even harder to believe than the whole fountain spell. While there are a few romantic moments, there seems to be some step missing between Beth and Nick's flirtation and their sudden wild devotion to each other. Though this "people fall in love in one day" idea is something that most romantic comedies are guilty of, the viewer is still left longing for a few more scenes to make the romance believable and the declarations of love a little less cheesy.
The final scene of the movie seemed unnecessary, dragging on a bit more than it needed to. No spoilers - let's just say the final moments of the movie bring forth an obstacle that appeared to be solved in the scene that came right before it. However, there is a humorous twist in store for viewers during these last few moments of the film, which redeems the scene slightly.
The corny love scenes and the out-of-place ending are made up for by the likeable cast and characters. Bell is stunning as usual, and she portrays the often unlucky Beth in a way that makes her character both relatable and lovable. Duhamel's portrayal of Nick in his sweet attempts to win Beth's affections is sure to make the females in the audience swoon.
It is hard to decide which of the four suitors was the most hilarious, especially with Danny DeVito thrown into the mix, though Dax Shepard really stands out as Gale, the self-obsessed male model who can't quite wrap his head around the concept of love. While Anjelica Huston's role as Beth's boss is a small part, she does a fantastic job of providing the audience with a character that they love to hate.
While it may fit into the standard chick-flick mold, When in Rome is an enjoyable and hysterical movie that offers a great laugh for those of you who need to sit down and unwind after a rough week. So ladies, grab a bag of M&M's and head to the movies for an evening of comedy and the cheesy romance that we all seem to love. And guys, you may get some laughs out of it too!
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