When In Rome

Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel

Directed by Mark Johnson

Rating: 4 stars

When Beth (Kristen Bell) has to make an impromptu trip to Rome, Italy to go to her younger sister's (Alexis Dziena) wedding, she never expected to find the love she's been waiting for. Feeling hopeless while hanging around the "fountain of love", she takes five coins out of it, not knowing what trouble this would cause her. Nick (Josh Duhamel) happens to be someone Beth feels like she could fall for, after meeting him at the wedding and had a great time. Nick relentlessly tries to get her to agree to going on a date. The trouble is, because she took those five coins from the fountain, five random men believe they are in love with her. They do everything they can to win her approval in hopes for her love back. Beth is afraid that Nick's coin is one of them and doesn't know what to believe herself, despite his refusal that one of the coins is his.

I would give this movie four stars. It was a cute, romantic-comedy. The actors portrayed their characters well, not going over-board to annoy you. However, the choice for Beth's "lovers" could have been better. Sure, they made you laugh and feel a bit creeped out, but they didn't make it feel realistic. Maybe it's because they used people such as Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, and Danny DeVito. Because they are big names in the comedy world (for example, Jon Heder being famously known for "Napoleon Dynamite), you feel like they "goof up" their characters. Maybe if the writers had toned down their characters so that they were more relatable, the movie would be even better. Sure, they learned a lesson in the end as to why they might have felt like they had fallen in love with Beth but looking back on the movie, they were a bit absurd.

Not to put this movie down, I enjoyed. I think that this is a film most people can enjoy. I'm sure if you liked Bridget Jones's Diary, The Ugly Truth, or Bride Wars, you might enjoy this. When In Rome is a light comedy that you can take your six- or seven-year-olds to. Overall, it provided humor and a satisfying ending.