When in Rome - A Movie Review (Stay away from the End Credits!)

Steve's Take: The disappointment starts in the lofty standard implicitly promised by the movie's three main ingredients, all of which are oozing with charm: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, and the setting (Rome).  Unfortunately, as Merle mentioned, Bell and Duhamel lacked chemistry, and Rome and its elements were under-utilized. Indeed, it is hard to believe that the accessory characters (Bell's other suitors played by Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito) could manage to out-charm the movie's more prolific cast and romantic setting, and yet they did. Summary:  I'm still a big Kristen Bell fan, so I'll just watch her in other shows.

Merle's Take: If there is one word to sum up When in Rome, it's "underwhelming". This is one of those movies that rely on the romantic beauty of a European country to make up for the lack of character buildup and plot twists. However, even in this department, the movie fails because it only features a very short few minutes of scenes from Rome. I can forgive the movie for being predictable, as is the case for many chick flicks, but what I cannot forgive is the contrived progression of Beth (Kristen Bell) and Nick's (Josh Duhamel) relationship, and their lukewarm chemistry. None the less, the movie was passable and the other four guys (Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito) were novel enough, so I still managed to watch the movie until the end of the credits, which I immediately regretted thereafter. When in Rome completely fell flat on its face as soon as the credits rolled in and the cast started dancing like a bunch of crazies. Why they'd end the lackluster movie with a completely random and cringe-worthy set of dance moves is beyond me. Summary: Watch When in Rome only when it shows on TV and DO NOT watch the end credits. I beg you.