When In Rome

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: January 29, 2010

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: A girl is pursued by suitors after her trip to Rome and must figure out which guy is the real deal.

Review: When Beth (Kristen Bell) goes to Rome for her sister's wedding, she meets her brother-in-law's college roommate Nick (Josh Duhamel) and they hit it off. Previously shut off from love, she decides to take a chance on Nick. But as all her previous experience has revealed, she realizes that he's just like all the other guys she's dated. Drunkenly, she splashes around in the fountain of love outside the church. Disheartened with love and cynical about the powers of the fountain, she picks up five coins in an effort to save the coins' owners from a broken heart. Unfortunately, this causes the opposite effect. The coins' owners, who include Antonio (Will Arnett), Lance (Jon Heder), Gale (Dax Shepard), Al (Danny DeVito) and Nick, all fall in love with her. Upon her return to New York, Beth is confronted with each of the men as they attempt to woo her. This movie wasn't as disappointing to me as Dear John, but I didn't really have the same high hopes for it to begin with. It played out like a typical romantic comedy and didn't really have any twists, making it quite predictable. The romantic relationship between Beth and Nick was not successfully portrayed by Bell and Duhamel. In Rome, it looked like they might have potential, but once they were back in New York (most of the movie), the two actors didn't seem to have a lot of chemistry. It wasn't believable that they would fall in love with each other, which I suppose can only be attributed to the actors' performances. The comic relief provided by Beth's other suitors was just mediocre too.

Watch It: If you don't care that it's a below average rom com.

Skip It: If you're watching it for the Italian scenery (like I did). Most of the film takes place in New York so no Italian countryside and barely any of the city is shown.

Just Like Heaven

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: September 16, 2005

DVD Release Date: February 7, 2006

Plot 411: An overworked doctor awakens from her accident to find that she's a ghost of her former self.

Review: As if 13 Going On 30 didn't make all of womankind fall in love with Mark Ruffalo, he's gotta go and make Just Like Heaven. This guy, who appears to be like the average Joe, somehow gets it right in every movie he makes. I'm glad to see that after achieving some fame with these initial rom coms, he's moved on to other genres and spread his wings. Ruffalo (David) plays opposite Reese Witherspoon (Elizabeth) in this film set in San Francisco. Elizabeth is a dedicated doctor who gets into an accident. When she wakes up, she is shocked that David is living in her apartment. She does all she can to get him out while he does the same (although it's with some hocus pocus mumbo jumbo since he thinks she's haunting his home). David even consults new ager Darryl (Jon Heder) for help with getting rid of his ghost. The movie opens up and the audience is able to play off Ruffalo and Witherspoon's chemistry. This is a lovely romantic comedy, especially if you're in the mood for a movie about destiny.

Watch It: For Ruffalo's easy going performance. The guy never seems to overact in any of his roles.

Skip It: If you're not looking for a run-of-the-mill rom com. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's not much different than others of its kind.