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| WHEN IN ROME (2009)
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SBD Star Rating:
by Lew Irwin
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 Critics have not reacted well to When in Rome, the romantic comedy featuring Kristin Bell and Josh Duhamel. The story concerns a woman who unwittingly makes several men fall in love with her after she takes coins out of a love fountain in Rome instead of throwing them in. With few dissenters, critics have taken aim at the film's comedy and storyline as particularly problematic, with USA Today's Claudia Puig summarizing both complaints stating, "...the humor is spotty, at best, and the conceit not only familiar, but more far-fetched than most. It feels lazy, like the screenwriters and director were only partially committed to making the comedy succeed." Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune echoes these sentiments, stating, "Certain scenes in When in Rome signify nothing less than the death of screen slapstick..." Among the unexpected criticisms of the Rome is the absence of the titular location itself as explained by Janice Page of The Boston Globe, "To begin with, there’s actually not a lot of Rome in When in Rome." This may seem trivial, but as Phillips points out, it contributes to a lackluster movie, "Most of the Rome bits were shot in New York, which is why the key Roman fountain scenes look like a gussied-up corner of Toronto. The movie lacks invention and true magic in the worst way." Overall critics have declared the film devoid of what makes romantic comedies attractive to audiences. |
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