A small stable of recognizable faces in supporting roles cannot save
When in Rome, a vapid romantic comedy fable pitched at some fantasy
demographic of young professional women who value love seemingly only
as a commodity, another box to check off on a very long and modern
to-do list. That the movie’s plot is malarkey through and through is
perhaps expected, but that it is delivered in such thunderously obvious
strokes pushes it from merely bad to nearly intolerable in certain
stretches.

Saddled with clunky expository dialogue, lame humor and baffling character motivations, When in Rome
has two settings: broad, and broader. Easy-on-the-eyes leads Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel mostly escape judgment on the
strength of their smiles. A litany of strange cameos, along with a fervently pitched dance-along by the entire cast over the end credits, all seems
desperately designed to create the impression that someone is having
fun. It’s certainly not the audience, however. For the full review, from Screen International, click here. (Disney, PG-13, 91 minutes)