When in Rome – Review

Even with all the adoration in the world for Kristen Bell, which we have and will always have thanks to Veronica Mars, When in Rome cannot survive the fact that it is a terrible film with no real laughs and no sense to its plot. Just look at the poster, it’s awful.

Bell’s character takes some coins out of a fountain and so some guys fall in love with her briefly hampering her burgeoning romance with an overly handsome Josh Duhamel. One of the biggest problem the film faces is with the sheer number of crazy men that have fallen in love with Bell and are therefore chasing after her. With so many characters (okay four) none really get a chance to do much.

When you have Danny DeVito and Will Arnett in your film you should really give them more screen time and better lines would help too. If you aren’t convinced that either are comedians worth your time just watch some Arrested Development or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for some proof. Both were reduced to minor bit parts and Arnett forced to put on a “funny” accent. Ugh. As the remaining two love-struck fools Jon Heder and Dax Shepard made Arnett and DeVitto look even better, as both hammed it up far too much.

With all these things wrong with it When in Rome is surprisingly watchable, not necessarily good but certainly watchable, and that is all down to Kristen Bell. Bell takes what little she has to work with and throws herself into it with a delightful perky charm that belongs to someone who deserves a much better agent. Brief appearances from Lee Pace and Kristen Schaal also help keep the film from being a complete disaster.

When in Rome is bad. Kristen Bell is good. It’s a bit confusing.

Out Now – 25th June 2010

I hope no films came out on Wednesday because I forgot to check and now it’s far too late. Regardless there’s plenty out today to be getting on with.

The Collector
It’s a gory horror by a few of the hundreds of writers from the Saw series. The plot apparently involves an ex-con planning a final heist that goes badly wrong as someone has set traps in the house he plans to burgle. According to someone on IMDb without the limited skill to make their own WordPress based film blog, The Collector is “awesome”.

Get Him to the Greek
I’m a rarity in that I think Russell Brand is very funny, and I really enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In fact I very nearly saw Get Him to the Greek on Monday but didn’t because something much more interesting and in no way related to me washing my clothes came up. Anyway… if you like Brand see this film, if not then don’t.

Tetro
Francis Ford Coppola has written and directed a film with a plot that I don’t quite understand but can easily copy and paste in here. “Set in Argentina, with the reunion of two brothers, the story follows the rivalries born out of creative differences passed down through generations of an artistic Italian immigrant family.” Personally I’m not tempted.

Villa Amalia
A French film in which a lady musician kisses a man and then other stuff happens included her moving on from the man she kissed and doing some travelling. In French!

Whatever Works
Ever wanted to see Larry David play Larry David in a film written and directed by Woody Allen who has seemingly lost his knack for making great films? No? Was it the way I phrased it, sorry. It could be good, but surely won’t be.

When in Rome
Come back in an hour and we’ll tell you precisely why you shouldn’t see this film until it’s out on DVD for next to nothing. Kristen Bell is adorable but sometimes that’s not enough.