(2.5 out of 5 stars)

When were we in Rome?  In this movie, not very often.  Correct title: In Rome, Briefly, When Not in NYC.  If we can’t even get the title right, how can the movie succeed?

I like Kristen Bell.  She has supplanted the lovely Jennifer Esposito on my list of 5 (if you are married and don’t know what this is, shame on you).  However, I don’t know if she is ready to carry a movie yet.  She was great in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, she was good in Couples Retreat.  Here… not so much.

I admire the attempt, I really do.  The beginning wedding scene was fantastic, but it kind of unraveled quickly once the movie swung back to New York.  That is when we went from kind of unbelievable to REALLY unbelievable.  In situations like that, you need heavyweights to make the movie work.  Kristen Bell and Josh “Mr. Fergie Ferg” Duhamel are not heavyweights.

It was nice to see Danny Devito and Jon Heder in small supporting rolls, and Heder even had a sidekick who may look familiar, but Will Arnett’s character didn’t work, and Dax Shepherd was annoying (although since he’s marrying Kristen Bell, it made the scenes where she looks repulsed by him interesting).  And talk about under using Angelica Huston.  What a waste.

Overall, I would say When in Rome had its moments, but not enough of them.  Want a chick flick set in Italy with a good cast: Only You starring Marissa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.  THOSE are heavyweights.