By: debbie lynn elias
After being reinvigorated with the comedic spirit thanks to Betty White’s wry, witty and laugh- out-loud funny speech at the SAG Awards the other night, it makes me even more appreciative of 2010’s first real rolling in the aisles, laugh-out-loud funny comedy – WHEN IN ROME. Replete with pratfalls and physical comedy reminiscent of comedy’s hey day, acerbic witty dialogue, a little romance, impeccable timing amongst an ensemble of comic geniuses all packaged in the form of Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Danny DeVito, Dax Sheppard, Will Arnett and Jon Heder, indelible characters, and set against exquisite backdrops of Rome and New York’s Guggenheim Museum, WHEN IN ROME is to be as comedically treasured as the Roman gods themselves.
Beth is a workaholic. Unlucky in love, or better yet, never having time for it, she is extremely successful in her work. At the top of her game in museum acquisitions, she still however, strives for recognition and promotion from her whip-cracking boss, Celeste. Critical at the moment is an upcoming exhibit which could make or break her career with the Guggenheim so it doesn’t bode too well for Beth in Celeste’s eyes when Beth gets a surprise call from her sister announcing that she is getting married. This weekend. In Rome. And she wants Beth as her maid of honor. Assuring Celeste that she will handle her museum duties while abroad, Beth jets off for a whirlwind wedding weekend in Rome. Arriving in front of the church with guests at the ready and bride in full regalia tapping her foot waiting for her erstwhile maid of honor, Beth is still running in high gear work mode, much to the chagrin of her divorced parents, both of whom urge her to take time to find love and romance. And of course, what better place to find both than Rome.
Serving as best man is Nick. Also a workaholic, like Beth, he too is obsessed with his profession and not looking for love. And there’s an added bonus – Nick is a hunk – a fact which does not go unnoticed by Beth. But as with any wedding and familial gathering, nothing goes as smoothly as planned, and the bulk of foibles come Beth’s way. Surprisingly, Nick jumps in to rescue her at every flop and fall. Could this be the one? Could romance have finally found her? Don’t get ahead of yourselves people because when inebriation takes hold of more than one person, Beth’s curiosity over Nick is killed, driving her out into the courtyard and the Fontana D’Amore. Legend holds that when you throw a coin the fountain, you will be joined with your true love. But what happens when in a drunken stupor you mouth off at the fountain, disavow love and defiantly pluck coins OUT of the fountain? As with any questioning or challenge to the gods, mayhem, madness and hilarity – something Beth is about to experience first hand.
Returning to New York, Beth is quickly pursued by three very different and passionately inflamed men – all of whom had thrown coins into the Fontana D’Amore. There’s Gale, a narcissistic male model (that will make you gag); Lance, a slightly gothic street magician; Antonio, an incredible painter who only has eyes for Beth; and Al, sausage king of New York and beyond (just what every girl wants as a gift on a date – a little sausage). But then, there’s also Nick who is more than smitten with Beth, something that makes her blood run hot and upsets her to no end, both at the same time.
Adored and pursued night and day by this band of merry men, each vies for Beth’s affections in some rather perverse and comical manners affection, affecting the one thing she does love – her job – and driving her ever closer to the most elusive element of her life – love.
Kristen Bell can now boast that she is a member of that small community of funny ladies that have ruled the world for years. Taking pratfalls and sharpening her creative wit and delivery with the best of them, she harkens to Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Rosalind Russell, even Martha Raye, and now stands with the likes of Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, and Lauren Graham as the 21st Century gifts to comedy. She is beyond delightful. And her chemistry with each of her male counterparts is undeniable and enjoyably entertaining. For director Johnson, “[Kristen] is so beautiful and such a great actress, but what I didn’t anticipate was the physical comedy, which is so hard to do. It’s so hard to be physical. So hard to play drunk.” According to Bell, what makes Beth so likeable is that “people embarrass themselves on a daily basis…and it leaves room for a lot of funnies. That allowed me to get really physical. I’m very klutzy in real life, so we just captured that on film!”
As Nick, Josh Duhamel is the man every woman wants – with or without being under a magical spell. Sexy, smart, but down to earth and very much an “everyman”, Duhamel is engaging at every turn. His comedic timing is impeccable, as is his physical comedy. Mark Steven Johnson has nothing but praise for Duhamel. “It would have been very easy to have a classic romantic leading guy who needed to look good and keep things moving, but Josh is so physical, he’s so great with his body, that’s why you saw him take so many pratfalls. I let him do like a classic screwball romantic comedy. And the more we bounced Josh, the funnier it got..and the more you liked him in the movie. “ A classic example of this is a crucial scene where Nick rolls up on the hood of car, breaking the windshield, that is Josh himself. No stuntman here. A former football player, Josh did 3 takes of the scene and actually smashed the windshield. It was a real windshield. Heaping more kudos on Duhamel’s performance is Dax Shepard who confided that “we were more often gathering around to watch Josh’s playback than any of us.”
A director’s comedy dream team, Dax Shepard, Will Arnett, Jon Heder and Danny DeVito takes the reins as Gale, Antonio, Lance and Al, respectively. Quite honestly, I don’t know who is funnier as each brings his own brand of comedy into the characterization of each character. Self-describing Lance as a “creepy street magician”, Heder goes all out with affected tonal voicing, overly dramatic movements and a goth look. With just one look at him, you can’t help but break out in laughter at Shepard. Self-deprecating, overly emotive and over the top, he is a scream. Arnett brings a joyful exuberance tinged with an elan that is indescribable. As for DeVito, DeVito is DeVito. You can’t help but like him, and let me tell you, he has one of the best lines of the entire movie and really shows us all what love is. Not to be overlooked or missed is Anjelica Huston as Celeste. An ice queen looking down on her Guggenheim dominion, she is perfection. And be on the lookout for a few very funny cameos by some very unexpected people. 
Written by David Diamond and David Weissman, who brought us “Old Dogs” and one of my guilty pleasure favorites, “Evolution” which showcased Julianne Moore’s comedic chops, WHEN IN ROME is charming, engaging, entertaining and funny, funny, funny. Rather than make this a romantic comedy, the duo achieve a feeling of a comedy with romance, making hilarity the watchword of the day. And while I would have liked to see more of a build-up in the relationship between Nick and Beth, the film is so perfectly paced that expanding on any relationship proves unnecessary.
For director Mark Steven Johnson, working with this cast “was like herding cats. I’m a big fan of everybody here. These are all the people that I’ve always wanted to work with. It’s a little bit of be careful what you wish for. It was me staying out of the way and wiping my eyes a lot crying [laughing] and then just trying to keep everything on track. Everyone is so good. Everyone is so funny. That’s always a challenge. Getting all that funny stuff and making sure we’re advancing the story at the same as letting everybody run loose.” Johnson, who wrote “Grumpy Old Men” and “Grumpier Old Men”, returns to his comedic roots after jaunts with “Ghost Rider” and “Elektra” “Ghost Rider”, celebrating classic comedy with a free-wheeling, free-spirited laugh filled film. When I asked Johnson what brought him back into the comedy fold, he had one answer, “It’s just so much fun to do comedy. [Comedy] is so immediate. You know if the jokes work or not. It felt like those days of being on set with Walter [Matthau] and Jack [Lemmon]. Just sitting there like a kid watching wide-eyed learning as much as I could. And I feel that way with these guys. These are some of the funniest guys working.”
With a portion of the film shot in Rome, not to be missed is the mini-travelogue of some of Rome’s most famous antiquities and landmarks – Forum, Spanish Steps, Maddalena Church, Piazza della Maddalena, Colosseum, Pantheon and Fountain of Trevi. With the majority lensed at dusk, Director of Photography John Bailey’s work is exquisite, rivaled only by the scenes filmed within the Guggenheim Museum itself. Capturing the breathtaking circular atrium area, Johnson makes this a focal point of many scenes, the beauty of which is only enhanced by Bailey’s wizardry. This is one film where re-creating of various art galleries was critical to achieving not only authenticity but preserving continuity of upscale beauty to not only the film, but the character of Beth. Masterpieces by Monet, Manet, Picasso and Van Gogh were not only reproduced for the film, but then artists had to create original works for Antonio’s art and Renaissance-style paintings for duplicating the Roman palazzo at the New York Surrogate Court Building. The art, as well as Kirk Petrucelli’s production design, is so meticulous, you will believe you are in Rome. Amazing piece of work is the Fontana d’Amore itself which was constructed by the filmmakers in the Piazza Borghese. Taking 40 days to sculpt by renowned 83-year old artist Gianni Gianese and 6 days to install, the fountain was so realistic, tourists believed it to be one of Rome’s famous fountains and were tossing in coins making their own magical wishes.
Despite having a good script and great cast, according to Johnson, other elements are of concern. “I thought the script was a lot of fun, but when you’ve got these guys, you’ve got to give them room, give them a chance to bring everything they can because that’s always gonna be the best stuff you get.” And yep, this is the best stuff!
WHEN IN ROME. A gift from the comic gods themselves.
Beth – Kristen Bell
Nick – Josh Duhamel
Celeste – Anjelica Huston
Al – Danny DeVito
Gale – Dax Shepard
Antonio – Will Arnett
Jon Heder – Lance
Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Written by David Diamond and David Weissman.
