Perhaps I enjoyed When In Rome more than I should have. I made the mistake of checking out some online reviews before I sat down to watch the film. When In Rome was almost unanimously blasted by critics. So I set my bar accordingly low. But I was most pleasantly surprised!

The story begins in New York City where we meet Beth (Kristen Bell). She’s a curator at the Gugggenheim and has given up on love after being dumped by her previous boyfriend at the local Appleebee’s. But while visiting Rome for her sister’s wedding, she finds herself drawn to Nick (Josh Duhamel). When things don’t work out she jumps into the Fontana de Amore and starts pulling out coins to save their owners from love’s cruel grasp. But it turns out that this is a magic fountain so instead of saving them from love, each one has now fallen madly in love with her! And they’re all crazy. We have the artist (Will Arnett), the magician (John Heder), the male model (Dax Shepard), and the sausage mogul (Danny Devito). To make things more complicated, Nick has also fallen for Beth. Now she has to figure out who really loves her and who has just fallen under the spell of the fountain.

I have to admit that the script is very weak. There are so many holes in the story that it’s best to not over think it. Just let the film flow over you and enjoy it for what it is, a fun romantic comedy. All of the really important elements are there: a likable couple that I really enjoyed rooting for, funny moments to make me laugh, and a cheesy moral – always leave yourself open to love. Most importantly, I could really feel the connection between Beth and Nick and understand why they were attracted to each other. I actually think the film could have been better if it focused even more on the romance between Beth and Nick and less on the high jinks of the four crazy suitors. But then I would have missed out on some really fun scenes!

Josh Duhamel is really outstanding as the romantic lead. He’s charming and funny simultaneously and steals every scene that he’s in. But I’m a huge fan of All My Children where he also played a romantic role so I knew he would be great! I was more surprised by Kristen Bell. I last saw her in Heroes where she was shooting electricity out of her hands. I never really pegged her as the romantic comedy type. But she really excels here – especially in the comedic parts. There’s one scene where she’s trying to break a vase that just won’t crack. It’s absolutely hilarious!

The scenes that take place in Rome were actually shot in Rome and are just stunning. I only wish that more of the film had taken place there. I mean, it’s called When In Rome so you would think that it would be set almost entirely in Rome but a good 75% of the film is in New York City. In the long run, it doesn’t make a difference since the movie is carried by its cast and not by its script or setting. It could have been set anywhere and I still would have enjoyed it!

When in Rome arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.40:1. I am not sure I have gotten used to the way these romantic comedies tend to look with the warm look. The film features a flat look during the entire duration. The sharpness and contrast are looking good. Black levels do look good overall. Skin tones are rather warm with a yellow tint to them. The image is clean and pristine throughout. Overall When in Rome looks decent.

When in Rome arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. This being a dialogue driven film will definitely not put your home theater to work. The dialogue is clean, clear and crisp. Ambience and atmospheric effects are rarely heard through the back speakers. What does sound good is the music score that tends to fill in the soundstage. This track does a good job with the material at hand.

There is much less included here than I would have liked. The Deleted Scenes are entertaining but besides that there not much real material.

Alternate Opening & Ending – The alternate opening is alright but the one that was used in the final version of the film is much better. The alternate ending is just plain horrible. I fully support the decision not to use it in the film!

Crazy Casanovas: Mischief From The Set – Off-the-wall Cast & Crew Featurette – These actors are all really funny. And there are some laughs in the feauturette. But there’s nothing exciting enough to entice me to watch it again.

“Extended Pain With The Suitors” – Extended Scenes, Suitors Turn The Museum Into Their Own Pain Exhibit – I liked these scenes individually but I can understand why they were cut from the final movie. They just don’t flow with the story. I’m glad that I did get to see them here, though!

Kerplunk! Bloopers From Rome – This is just your average gag reel. There’s nothing too funny or interesting.

Deleted Scenes – Some of these scenes were very funny but none really added or subtracted anything from the film. It looks like they were aiming for a 90 minute movie and cutting these helped them achieve that without sacrificing much at all.

Music Video: “Starstrukk” by 3OH!3 Featuring Katy Perry – Completely lame in every way

Music Video: “Stupid Love Letter” by Friday Night Boys – I have to admit that I liked this one. The song is catchy and the video is silly!

When In Rome is a solid romantic comedy. It’s not for you if you’re looking for a really “good” movie or if you want a disc with lots of extras. But if you’re in the mood for something light and fun, it definitely has my recommendation. I am proud to disagree with all the critics!

The screen captures are only a small representation of what the Blu-ray looks like and are not representative of Blu-ray’s true quality.