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Wrap a bundle of clichés, stereotypes, B-list actors and Italy together and what does one get? A disaster of a romantic comedy named "When in Rome," where the only people entertained by this horror of a flick are pre-teen girls and middle-aged women going through menopause.
The plot circles around a woman named Beth, played by Kristen Bell in the same tired role of an overworked woman too busy to make time for love. In steps Nick (Josh Duhamel), the perfect man. He's charming, witty, handsome and romantic-fitting the shoes of the prince charming archetype perfectly.
The twist in this overdone romantic tale? Beth steals coins from the "Fountain of Love" in Italy, which may or may not end up casting a spell on Nick, as well a four other gentlemen who had cast those coins into the fountain in hopes of finding love.
So does Nick truly love Beth? Or is it the magic of the fountain that compels him towards her? What will she do about the four other men vying for her love? The answer? The majority of the audience could care less.
Beth's character is incredibly irritating, as it has been played dozens of times before on the big screen. She's the same old ditzy blonde who doesn't seem to have any real flaws. And Nick? Nick has no flaws whatsoever. The four other gentlemen competing for her heart-a magician (Jon Heder), a painter (Will Arnett), a businessman (Danny Devito), and a model (Dax Shepard)-are all played by comedic geniuses that are restricted by their terrible characters.
Not one of their characters is original. The magician is a Criss Angel wannabe, the painter is a weird creative type, the businessman is dry and wealthy and the model is superficial and narcissistic. The writers seem to have gotten lazy when creating these roles, trying to save it by recruiting top-notch comedians to play these parts.
The other painful flaw in this movie is the terrible dialogue: lackluster and trite. In one part, Nick narrowly avoids crashing into a pole, only to crash into a tree when he isn't looking, like a "Tom and Jerry" scene reenacted and stretched to fit five minutes.
The comedy they've tried to produce made a majority of the audience yawn instead of laugh and the romantic scenes are about as romantic as a Hallmark card.
It is quite possible to just watch the trailer and predict what happens in the movie. There is a high probability that most of those predictions made will come true, which is not only frustrating, but it makes one disappointed that all these acclaimed actors are embarrassing themselves by starring in a movie whose storyline is as innovative as Joan Rivers's face.
To watch "When in Rome" is to watch a handful of badly made chick flicks crammed together into one really awful film. It seemed to have made some of the groaning audience members in the theater wish that "When in Rome" had stayed in Rome, so they wouldn't have to endure the torture of this heinous banal movie.
2/5
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