When In Rome Review

Reviewed by Joe Shaver  on  5/30/2004

Rome is one of my favorite cities and I have been there many times, but nothing as exciting happened to me as happens to tourist Eddie Stone in Chi Chi LaRue’s WHEN IN ROME. The plot is credited to Chris Steel, but he has lifted the idea from an earlier film that I’ve seen. So the plot held no surprises. But the sex is something else, and Chi Chi is at her best in this one.

The film stars the incomparable Eddie Stone. Absolute perfection from the top of his raven hair to the tips of his suckable toes, Eddie Stone is a walking wet dream. My god, but he is gorgeous! One of the handsomest men in porn, he is a consummate cocksucker—deep-throating some big ones, a voracious rimmer, and—although he is a versatile sexualist—is the most beautiful bottom ever to appear on film. If this were ancient Rome, Eddie would be the second most powerful man in the empire—the emperor’s favorite.

On his first day in this city of seven hills, Eddie is mugged. His money, passport, everything is all gone. Despondent, he meets Aussie Joe Foster, who tells him the consulate is closed until Monday (There’s an embassy in Rome, Joe, not a consulate.) Joe then invites him to the country for the weekend. Who could refuse, even with money? Arriving in the country, Joe leaves Eddie sitting on the stoop. Two hunky hirsute Italians, Alberto Ventura and Marco Sisto observe him from a window and then get it on. It is the first of our four sizzling sexual encounters with the bulkier Marco fucking the slenderer—and more attractive—Alberto.

Eddie gets impatient, but finding the door through which Joe exited locked, he wanders around until he finds a door that seemingly opens into a cellar. We see a lighted torch coming from a tunnel and Leonardo Ricci appears. With no words exchanged between them, Leonardo puts down the flaming torch he was carrying to have some flaming sex with Eddie. He leans forward for a kiss, and Eddie is eager to acquiesce. And let me tell you Eddie can kiss! Those lips were made for kissing and sucking dick. He is soon using them on Leonardo’s uncut salami, taking it all the way to the balls. The first we see of Eddie’s body is his ass as Leonardo rims it. More mutual cocksucking follows before Eddie gets fucked, first in a standing position and then lying on his back—totally nude now—to get fucked in the missionary position. It is not only extremely erotic but also beautiful.

Joe Foster, having done his duty by bringing Eddie to this establishment, tells charming young Luca Ferretti that Eddie believed his story about the consulate [sic] being closed until Monday. The buff Ozman and the cute young Italian then get down to business. It is another scorching scene with Joe eventually topping Luca both doggy and missionary.

As Eddie is in post-coital slumber, Leonardo steals his clothes. Eddie awakes and is distraught to discover that not only has he lost his money and passport but now has lost even his clothes. He wanders the outdoors naked until he finds an entry to the villa. (Could anything be more attractive than having Eddie Stone wandering naked around one’s place?) Once inside he is confronted by Filippo Romano, the thief who stole his backpack. Eddie is delighted to get his possessions back; even more delighted that he has been brought here for nefarious purposes. His scene with Filippo is another extraordinary encounter. Not only does Eddie show his superb kissing and deep-throating technique, Filippo shows that he is no slouch in the sex department either. I found it particularly hot that Filippo would interrupt his rimming of Eddie’s ass to rub top of his head on Eddie's ass so that his hair would further stimulate the hole. Doggy, Cowboy, Missionary, Eddie takes it every which way in this scene to bring the film and the viewer to yet another climax.

The denouement shows Eddie encountering yet another down-and out tourist to take back to the country. Why were none of my Roman visits this lucky?

It is not often that a film offers us four scenes of high sexual caliber, but the miracle occurs in this one. Eddie Stone and Italy must inspire Chi Chi as much as they do me. Great direction, a superlative cast, great sex, and Roman vistas make this is a beautiful film in all respects. Rome has not been this hot since Nero burned it down.