Loosely based on the 1954 movie Three Coins in the Fountain, When in Rome finds emerging museum curator, Beth Harper (Kristen Bell), attending her sister’s wedding in Rome, Italy. She is really attracted to the dashing best man (Josh Duhamel) but when she sees him with another woman she grabs a bottle a wine and goes wading in the infamous Trevi Fountain.
There is a legend regarding the fountain where if a woman takes the coins from the fountain that the owners of the coins will fall madly in her. When Beth is drunk, she takes five coins from the fountain and returns to New York.
One by one we are introduced to the coin owners and one is stranger than the next. Will Arnett is a love-struck painter, Jon Heder is a creepy street musician, Danny DeVito is a sausage king (no not that kind), Dax Shepherd is a vain male model and well you have Duhamel not giving up on her. Well it is pretty obvious where this is going!
Kristen Bell seems to be prepped to become the new Sarah Jessica Parker. Her whole character was like it was written especially for SJP. If they ever remade Sex & the City I could totally see Kristen as Carrie Bradshaw.
I honestly never saw what Duhamel’s character saw in her. Their chemistry was forced at best and well her life is just super dull. It never gets any excitement until she has four stalkers claiming they love her.
When in Rome is amateur hour so it doesn’t surprise me that it is directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the brainiac behind such superhero duds as Daredevil and Ghost Rider. If you remember the chemistry between the love interests in those movies they also lacked something to be desired. Eva Mendes and Nicolas Cage? What a joke!
I have to give Josh Duhamel and Will Arnett credit for this movie. They are the best part about it. Duhamel proves he can do pratfalls and be a stable leading man. And Arnett steals scenes as the love struck painter.
I really can’t recommend the movie to anyone though for the most part its a borefest.
1.5 out of 5
So Says the Soothsayer.
