When in Rome flip-flops between rom-com and awkwardness

By Jackie Ammons     2/4/10 6:00pm

Paris may be the city of love, but Rome is the city of romance, the perfect place to find that special someone. And while When in Rome, which ventures into sometimes trite and overly hokey territory, is not a great movie, it is still a fun, playful chick flick about searching for love within the city's beautiful piazzas.Beth (Kristen Bell, "Gossip Girl") is a workaholic curator for the Guggenheim Museum who works under the strict supervision of her critical boss (Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure's Anjelica Huston). When she attends her sister's (Alexis Dziena, "Entourage") wedding in Rome, Beth plucks four coins out of a nearby fountain, and in doing so, causes the men who threw in the coins to fall in love with her. However, in spite of the spell-induced suitors' attempts to gain her attention, Beth ends up falling in love with her sister's best man, Nick (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's Josh Duhamel), who helps her snap out of her hectic lifestyle as well as the fountain's magic spell.

Magic certainly isn't a necessary ingredient in the rom-com formula, so in that way it separates When in Rome from the rest of the typical offerings. But the plot's magic element also allows for some ridiculously corny moments. All four of Beth's admirers literally chase her down in New York City. In one of the more memorable scenes, one suitor (Baby Mama's Dax Shepard) takes his shirt off in a restaurant to display his six-pack abs to Beth, all the while spouting horrendous pick-up lines about his muscles, such as "Do we need a doctor? Because these puppies are sick." Another one of Beth's admirers is a sausage mogul who provides Beth with plentiful gift baskets of ... sausage. Yum?

The most outrageous of Beth's suitors, however, is neither the muscleman nor the sausage vendor. Lance the street magician is played flawlessly by Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame. Heder's character pulls off preposterous stunts during his time onscreen, at one point yanking a bloody plastic heart out of his shirt. Efren Ramirez fills a similar role to that of his Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite, following Lance around the city as he performs tricks to no avail. Each of Beth's admirers would annoy any sane, single woman, but they provide an abundance of hilarity; perhaps if they toned down their shenanigans just a bit they would pose less of a nuisance for the audience.

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Fortunately, Nick more than makes up for Beth's other not-so-suitable suitors. He is as charming as he is handsome, and the audience naturally falls for him and his stumbling attempts to show off his mastery of the Italian language for Beth. Bell's character complements Nick well, with her similarly charming personality and performance, along with a face that made "Veronica Mars" relevant.

The Roman setting is, of course, gorgeous, with picturesque streets, ancient ruins and community fountains providing the perfect backdrop for Beth - or anyone else, for that matter - to fall in love. The symbolism of location in When in Rome is obvious, yet it remains endearing: In New York City, Beth lives a busy, fast-paced lifestyle that leaves no room for love, but in Rome she can slow down and take time to enjoy the beauty of the city and the wonder of romance. While When in Rome presents a clichéd dichotomy of setting, the average romantic moviegoer and chick flick fan can't help but fall for it.

In spite of When in Rome's romantic relationship theme, audiences are bound to have a love-hate relationship with the film. At some points, this romantic comedy is hilarious; at others, it is sweet and sentimental. Unfortunately, during certain nerve-grating scenes, When in Rome is corny and overwhelmingly annoying. It doesn't quite do the city of romance the justice it deserves, but it is a valid attempt.

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