Hollywood Product: When in Rome (1)
GENRE: Smart, beautiful, career-driven woman can’t find happiness because no man will marry her
THE PITCH: Workaholic Beth (Kristen Bell) travels to Rome for her younger sister’s (Alexis Dziena) whirlwind marriage, where she meets and falls for best man Nick (Josh Duhamel). The lovelorn Beth ends up barefoot and drunk in the coin-filled fountain of amore outside the church, cursing the monument. She pockets four of the coins believing she’s doing their owners a favor. Lightening strikes, though, and the coins’ tossers — a Chris Angel wannabe (John Heder, who’s looking more and more like Carrot Top), sausage CEO (Danny Devito), male model (Dax Shepard) and a struggling artist (Will Arnett) — fall in love with her instead. If it sounds convoluted and ridiculous, that’s because it is.
MONEY SHOTS: Beth spins around to confront her ex — with a giant piece of spinach in her teeth. Italian tradition holds the broken pieces of a smashed vase determine how many years of happiness the couple will share. After Beth’s initial attempt lands with a thud, she proceeds to hurl the vase across the reception hall, bang it against the podium, and abuse it with a mic stand, causing an old lady to declare, “She wishes them great tragedy!” Back in New York City, Nick takes Beth out to dinner at a dine-in-the-dark restaurant. The night-vision equipped server (“Flight of the Conchords’” hilariously invasive Kristen Schaal) leads Beth and Nick on a gropey walk to their table at the expense of their knees, toes and the other patrons’ table settings.