When in Rome - A Movie Review

When in Rome, do what the Romans do. What do the Romans do? They worship Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of love, lust and beauty.

Okay, so many Romans are Catholic these days, and not Pagans like their ancient ancestors. Still, in this movie, modern Romans still pay homage to the Fountain of Love, flanked by a larger-than-life sculpture of the goddess. They throw coins in the fountain for good luck in love. If you take one of those coins, whoever threw it in will fall in love with you.

Beth (Kristen Bell) doesn't believe in all that romantic nonsense. She barely even believes in love, since she's never found a man she loves more than her job as a curator at the Guggenheim art museum. She's stunned when her younger sister Joan announces she's marrying Umberto, a Roman she met on a plane two weeks ago. The wedding will take place in Italy...during the same week Beth is in charge of a crucial exhibit of artworks depicting pain.

At the wedding, Beth feels like she's making a connection to Umberto's best man, sports writer Nick (Josh Duhamel, a.k.a Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas' man). That is, until she sees him kissing an Italian woman. Disappointed, Beth swigs Dom Perignon from the bottle and jumps in the fountain, taunting Venus. It's never a good idea to taunt a goddess, though, and Venus takes a highly comical form of revenge. Beth picks up four coins and a poker chip from the fountain...and as soon as she returns to New York, she finds herself being chased down by Nick and four other men who are convinced they love her.

Much slapstick involving a horse-drawn carriage, a thirty-foot-high nude mural, a gas-relief tablet ad, an unfortunate lightning strike, a pitch-black restaurant, and a lot of sausage ensues. It's funny, but not hilarious. In the process, Beth falls in love with Nick. Can she ever be sure his love for her is real, though, and not just the effect of her taking his poker chip out of the fountain? And if she does find out, will it be happily ever after for Nick and Beth? This is a romantic comedy, so you don't need a crystal ball to predict the ending. Still, the ride is not without its charms.

Many of you will have chosen to see Valentine's Day (The Movie) instead. I haven't seen VD, but I doubt I would have liked it as much as this low-key comedy. I truly enjoyed the Roman scenery, and Kristen Bell's clothes were absolutely fabulous. (If I ever have to be in a wedding again, I want to imitate her blue maid of honor gown.) Plus she's adorable, and she played her character well.

If you do go to see this, though, make sure you buy an extra box of candy. This is a movie of Venus, and you wouldn't want to offend the goddess by walking into her place of worship empty-handed.

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