Duhamel makes When In Rome a fun trip…almost

When In Rome

Directed By Mark Steven Johnson

Starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Houston, Bobby Moynihan, John Heder, Danny DeVito

When In Rome spends most of its time in New York.  I have to say this, because I felt a little ripped off by this.  Of course, the Guggenheim provides some memorable moments, but I am more than a little tired of Romantic Comedies filmed in the Big Apple.  The reason I am thinking about scenery at all is that is what one does when not engaged by what the people on the screen are doing.  In this movie, we had hemming, hawing, and some totally uninspired plot devices.

Kristen Bell has much potential as an actress.  After the critically acclaimed Veronica Mars, she was one of the only good things about Heroes after season one, of course that lasted about 8 episodes.  As Sara Marshall, she made us sympathize with Jason Segel, and she was a perfect counterpoint for Jason Bateman on Couples Retreat.  Here her job is to look confused, frustrated and gullible.  She does these things with as much enthusiasm as she can muster.

One of the big pluses to this attempt is Josh Duhamel, who for me had been totally interchangeable in the Transformers movies.  He sticks the landing for each pratfall and joke here, and with a goof-ball face that belies his good looks and is believable simultaneously.  His character is mostly superfluous to the plot.  He does not have to believe anything going on around Kristen Bell, and that is a benefit to his own character’s charm.

His friend, portrayed by Bobby Moynihan, is a fresh take on the annoying compadre.  He makes a decent impression in his brief scenes and is annoying in a good way.

I wish I could say the same for the four character actors assigned to play the smitten and lovelorn losers whose hearts Bell acquires when she takes the coins out of the Trevi Fountain wannabe called the “fountain of love.”  The actors, who have all done similar work in similar movies are not quite worth mentioning.  Their presence here is nothing worth remembering here.  In fact, I am still trying to forget.

(** out of *****)