In the recently released romantic comedy “When in Rome,” both love and her most recent boyfriend slap Beth in the face, so she very nearly gives up on finding replacements for either.
Starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, the plot follows Beth (Bell), a career-obsessed art curator, from New York to Rome where she acts as the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. Nick (Duhamel) is the best man in Beth’s sister’s wedding. He quickly falls for Beth and continues his chase upon their return to busy lives in New York.
While in Rome, overwhelmed by inebriation and embittered by love, Beth scoffs at the coins in a fountain outside of the wedding reception, but she steals them as souvenirs from her trip.
Unbeknownst to her, she has plucked coins from a “magical” fountain, which will cause the men whose coins she stole to fall in love with and recklessly pursue her.
Her four suitors vary greatly in their interests: one works in the sausage industry, another sells women’s footwear, a third perpetually practices magic in hopes of becoming the next Houdini and the final suitor works as a model and adores his own reflection. Yet they are all united by their unrequited love for Beth, who is only irked by their extreme and extravagant attention.
Back in New York, Beth prepares for an upcoming art show that demands all of her time, allowing no room in her life for suffocating boyfriends. In order to stop the bevy of men from their constant pursuit, she realizes she needs to return their coins to them.
Eventually, she returns the coins so that she can pursue true love, influenced only by the heart. However, the coins still lead to problems when Beth begins to fall for Nick, as she convinces herself that one of the coins she stole is influencing his behavior.
Overall, “When in Rome” is a wonderful but cheesy movie. While the audience can easily predict that with the return of the coins comes the cessation of Beth’s clan of male followers, and that Nick has a veritable love for Beth, not one conjured up by the magic of a fountain, audiences cheer for Beth as she finally realizes the legitimacy of Nick’s affections.
A comedic twist comes at the end of the movie, when the audience discovers the owner of the final coin, clarifying the behavior of this certain figure throughout the comedy. Furthermore, the scenery includes beautiful shots of Rome, Italy and New York City.
“When in Rome” is lighthearted and fun. Although the lines don’t cause the audience to roll on the floor in laughter, or any other clichéd form of enjoyment, it does incite smiles and chuckles from the audience as characters flirtatiously converse with their lovers.
It concludes with the happy ending of which chick-flick fans never tire: they fall in love, get married and, as far as the film leads us to believe, they live happily ever after.
Just as an obvious, yet necessary, warning: “When in Rome” is not a film for those who like suspenseful movies, nor is it a film for those who do not crave happy endings.
nilsen@stolaf.edu
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