When in Rome | Free Movies Online | Watch Free Films | Indie Movies Online WATCH INDEPENDENT MOVIES FREE: MOVIES FREE MOVIES BANGKOK DANGEROUS DOCUMENTARIES SHORT FILMS REGISTER NOW FOR A FREE INDIE ACCOUNT MAGAZINE FORUMS FREE MOVIES WATCH AARDMAN SHORTS WATCH FREE MOVIES LEGALLY AND SAFELY Search BOOKMARK HOME / REVIEWS / WHEN IN ROME MY PROFILE WHEN IN ROME LOGOUT WE HAVE FREE MOVIES AVAILABLE IN: POSTED ON FRI, 29/01/2010 @ 05:02 BY: KIMBERLY GADETTE IMO MAGAZINE When in Rome ... what? The title is not just a cliché but, states Kimberly Gadette, a fragmented one to boot. Perhaps an inadvertent portent of the film itself? In an attempt to understand the bottom of the chick-flick, rom-com barrel that is When in Rome, its plot predicated around the tossing of coins, the following might be as likely a scenario as any other: MOVIE REVIEW PERCY JACKSON: THE LIGHTNING THIEF NEWS FEATURE MODERN CRIMES REVIEWS FEATURES Mortal Kombat kontroversy Moverman moving in on Cobain biopic Screenwriter David #1: "I'll bet we can write a full-length screenplay in less than an hour." Screenwriter David #2: "You think? OK, I'll take that bet, but let's make it a half-hour. Now it's my turn: I'll bet we can write a bigger flop than our last one." A feast of Lotte Reiniger shorts! Revealed: The Secret of Kells Liman and Besson to do porridge Bordello Death Tales trailer INVITE A FRIEND TO WATCH MOVIES: David #1: "You're on! You know, even though it got a cumulative 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, I always kinda liked our script of Old Dogs." Enter a friend's email and hit go! OK BOOKMARK US WITH: David #2: "Want to bet we get an even lower score for this one? And make even more 'Worst Films' lists? FOLLOW US ON: David #1: "Count me in! So you want to pitch some ideas first or should I?" LOVE INDIEMOVIESONLINE? David #2: "Let's toss a coin – ooh, neat idea, a coin toss, maybe we should 'throw' that in?" GET AN INDIE BUTTON FOR YOUR SITE OR BLOG. FREE MOVIES David #1: "Ha, ha!, you're the best!" POPULAR TODAY RECOMMENDED MOVIES David #2: "Ha ha!, you mean the worst!" SAINTS AND SOLDIERS ROOM 2017 War 2003 Culture 2007 FREE MOVIE FREE MOVIE NIGHT JUNKIES Horror 2007 ROLLIN' WITH THE NINES FREE MOVIE Action / Adventure 2006 FREE MOVIE THIS GIRL'S LIFE BAISE MOI Drama 2003 Thriller 2000 FREE MOVIE FREE MOVIE FREE MOVIES MOVIES GENRES Where to begin. Certainly not in Rome, a city that might want to sue this film for its inclusion in such a piece of brainless pap. Maybe we should start in New York, with the movie's usage of such hackneyed locales as Columbus Circle, Central Park's Bethesda Fountain, the Guggenheim Museum and sparkling nighttime aerial shots of the Chrysler Building. Perhaps, in an attempt to entice us with shiny objects, the filmmakers hoped we wouldn't notice the idiocy unfolding on the screen. ACTION / ADVENTURE ADAPTATION COMEDY DRAMA FAMILY HORROR MARTIAL ARTS ROMANTIC COMEDY SCI-FI THRILLER But like the Guggenheim's iconic spiral ramp, coiling upwards toward the heavens ... I'm getting ahead of myself. Peppy workaholic Beth (Kristen Bell), an up-and-coming museum curator, doesn't think she's destined for true love. But at her sister's whirlwind wedding in Rome, she laughs, dances and flirts with a charming Mr. Right named Nick (an engaging Josh Duhamel). When she follows him outside, and sees him leaning against a hot Italian lady in red, Beth assumes that Nick's previous flirtations with her were insincere. Drunk, she wades into a nearby fountain and instead of enacting the usual custom of making a wish while tossing in a coin, she helps herself to a handful of coins previously thrown by others. Old Italian spells being what they are, Beth's coin kleptomania triggers a disparate group of strangers (who all conveniently reside in her hometown of Manhattan) into suddenly become enamored of her in a molto grande way. Cue hilarity, which is supposed to ensue. WAR Create content Log out There is so much wrong with David Diamond and David Weissman's plot that, borrowing the Guggenheim ramp analogy one more time, it's hard to know where to begin. The most glaring problem occurs immediately: since Nick has been charmed by her for an entire evening before she plucks the assorted coins (and who knows if any of them are his?), then he's obviously not bound by some spell. Other issues: her enchanted suitors not only recognize her instantly, but they know her full name and where she lives, easily breaking into her apartment and approaching her at her workplace. Her assistant, understanding that Beth's career is on the line with any misstep over an impending art show, scuttles the delivery of the show's centerpiece. Why? No reason, except that the screenwriters must have heard that concocting actions that will create conflict is a good thing. They might want to revisit this concept in order to understand that characters' actions need to logically align with who they are, as they exist within the particular universe of the story. Which brings us to character. Or lack thereof. Angelica Huston's boss is a two-dimensional cartoon, as are the suitors (with the singular exception of Danny DeVito, trying to stuff some humanity into his enamored sausage king). But since director Mark Steven Johnson had previously directed comic book adaptations (Ghost Rider, Daredevil), perhaps he can't control himself from forcing his romantic lead to crash into immobile objects à la Wile E. Coyote. Nick actually has a back story, left unexplored – he was a football player with a promising career that abruptly ended due to a nasty bolt of lightning. But since our heroine only whines about her miserable luck, never uttering so much as a polite "And how are you? ," we never get a true sense of who this Nick actually is. But what the heck, this is romantic comedy, so of course she falls in love. And he falls in love. It's love falling, stumbling, crashing all the livelong day. As for audience love? Not so much. Though it's only the end of January, this film dares to set a brand new low for 2010. Congratulations on a job, um, done. Rating on a scale of 5 magic coins that might erase these 106 wasted minutes: 0.5 Release date: US: 29 January 2010; UK: 23 April 2010 Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson Written by: David Diamond & David Weissman Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Alexis Dziena, Kate Micucci Rating: US = PG-13; UK = tbd Running time: 106 minutes LOVE THIS ARTICLE? Spread the word by bookmarking it with one of the sites below: Alternatively paste the code below into your blog or website to create a link to this article: <a href="http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/reviews/when-in-rome-290110">http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/reviews/when-in-rome-290110</a> ADD NEW COMMENT 29/01/2010 @ 05:41 PaulMartin Movie Jedi Danny DeVito as an 'enamored sausage king'? How can such a movie fail? 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