By Allison Dooley/reporter
Photo courtesy Walt Disney Studios
When In Rome appeared to be another typical Hollywood romantic comedy where girl meets boy and falls in love with characters so shallow you really don’t care what happens to them.
So it’s a pleasant surprise to enjoy When In Rome so much.
The story is about Beth Harper (Kristen Bell), a dedicated curator at a prestigious New York museum. She is committed, hard-working and without time for a personal life. When she travels to Rome for her sister’s last-minute wedding, things heat up between her and the groom’s best man, Nick (Josh Duhamel).
Unfortunately, Beth has lost at love her entire life and thinks this might be the case again. While in a drunken stupor, she takes coins from a fountain of love outside the wedding reception. A spell is cast and works its mysterious magic on Beth, affecting her back in New York with all kinds of crazies entering her life.
The movie is full of laughs and gags with a great star-studded cast. Duhamel’s character is totally charming, laid-back, witty and easy on the eyes.
Many of the roles played by hard-driven and professional women have the personality of a box, but Bell’s character is cute and witty. The audience buys in that she would give up her career in a minute if she found love with the right guy.
The supporting cast is hilarious. Fans of Arrested Development will love Will Arnett as an Italian painter. Also Jon Heder plays a bumbling street magician, Dax Shepard becomes an egomaniac model and Sausage King Danny Devito joins the trio who all compete for Beth.
Bobby Moynihan steals the show as Nick’s buddy, and Anjelica Huston plays Bell’s stern and serious boss at the museum. Even former Miami Vice hunk Don Johnson still looks great as Bell’s father.
The characters may be wacky, but they are lovable, and the screen chemistry between Bell and Duhamel is fantastic. There are surprises, sport cameos and even a Napoleon Dynamite reunion.
Everyone is pulling for Beth because she is so likable and offers faith that maybe a girl can win at love, magic spell or not.
