''Coins in the Fountain'' is a 1990 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

romantic comedy film Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

based on the 1952 novel '' Coins in the Fountain'' by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as '' Three Coins in the Fountain''. It was directed by

Tony Wharmby Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

and written by Lindsay Harrison. Filming took place in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and other parts of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Coins in the Fountain – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes – The New York Times
/ref> during the summer of 1990.Coins In The Fountain (1990) Misc Notes
/ref> The film originally premiered on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on September 28, 1990.

Summary

In the summer of 1990 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Leah (

Loni Anderson Loni Kaye Anderson (born August 5, 1945) is an American actress who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations. Early ...

) has just been named as the West Coast editor for a magazine owned by Nelson Publishing. Her new job will begin as soon as she returns with her two best friends Nikki ( Stepfanie Kramer), and Bonnie (

Shanna Reed Shanna Reed (born Shanna Herron; October 30, 1955) is an American dancer and television and movie actress. She is known for playing Polly Cooper McGillis on '' Major Dad''. One of seven siblings, she is the step-daughter of Tommy Reed, the jazz ...

) from her annual vacation. Nikki is a divorced woman who refuses to trust any man due to her ex-husband's cheating, and Bonnie is a married mother who loves her husband but hates the routine her life has settled into. As Leah is recently separated from Mac Chambers ( John Sanderford), and it is her turn to plan the vacation, she chooses

. Leah had previously spent two months there during the summer of 1970 and had been romantically involved with a young

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

artist named Marcello ( Stuart Wilson). After learning of the trip, Mac, hoping for a reconciliation with Leah, encourages her to go see Marcello and wants time with her when she returns. Upon arriving in Rome, the three women find that their hotel room shares a bathroom with another

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Joe ( Carl Weintraub) is a recently retired

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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detective who was recently left at the altar and is taking alone his intended honeymoon, as the trip had been prepaid. Nikki is struggling with the sharing of the bathroom. The women then go sightseeing, ending up at Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in the

Piazza Navona Piazza Navona () is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans went there to watch the '' agones' ...

. Nikki comments that "it doesn't look the same as in the movie" (A nod to the 1954 film). The ladies agree to throw their coins and make their wishes at this fountain since they do not want to walk all the way to the

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the lar ...

. Leah locates Marcello, now a

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

at an art museum and finds the courage to meet him. Marcello is excited to again see Leah, and the two spend the afternoon together strolling around the city. Meanwhile, Nikki and Bonnie lose each other in the crowds of tourists. Nikki makes it back to the hotel, and she and Joe share their stories and eventually decide to go to dinner together. Bonnie ends up with a tour group and meets Alfred (

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...

), a widower who becomes interested in her. They also go to dinner that night. As their two-week vacation is coming to an end, the women try to sort out their feelings. Leah is convinced that Marcello is going to ask her to stay, as he did in 1970, and this time she decides she will say yes. Nikki decides to break it off with Joe, as she does not ever want to be in a position of being hurt again, and Bonnie truly does not know what she wants. Alfred, who has become a good friend, has offered her to come with him to Switzerland for another two weeks. She feels that if she does not go, she may never have another chance, and she is not anxious to return to her mundane life. As Nikki gets to Joe's hotel room, she finds that he has already left, and she begins to cry. Meanwhile, Leah tells Marcello she will stay and is then surprised to find out that he had not even thought about asking her to stay. Marcello tells her that he thought she was living her life exactly how she wanted it, based upon her statements from 1970. He tells her that the focus she has on her career is what influenced him to give up being an artist and move into his career. The next day, their last day in Rome, the ladies go to breakfast and then return to the hotel. To their surprise, Joe has come back and Bonnie's husband, Phil ( David Wilson) has flown in as well. Joe tells Nikki that he does not want to lose her. Phil tells Bonnie that he missed her too much and that he needs her. Marcello appears and tells Leah that he would like her to stay if she wants to, but Leah responds that she realized that it can't be 1970 again and that she has always had a fantasy that it could be. She ends by saying that she needed to get back to Los Angeles, her dream job and to Mac, who she had not been fair to. She has always held it against him that he was not a young, Italian artist. The film ends with Leah, Phil, Bonnie, Joe and Nikki on an airplane flying home, with Leah asking, "So how does

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in April sound?"

Theme song

The song " Three Coins in the Fountain" was recorded by Jack Jones (the singer of ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'' theme) and used in this film.

Opening scenes

During the opening credits, the scene is a recreation of the opening of the 1954 film. It is a montage of the

and other

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

s of Rome, as well as many shots of

Villa d'Este The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO World Herita ...

Tivoli, Italy Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinu ...

Cast

... Leah * Stepfanie Kramer ... Nikki Taylor *

... Bonnie * Carl Weintraub ... Joe Marino * Stuart Wilson ... Marcello * David Wilson ... Phil *

... Alfred * John Sanderford ... Mac Chambers *

Tim Flavin Tim Flavin (born January 13, 1959) is an American actor. Flavin was the first American to be presented with a Laurence Olivier Award, for his 1984 performance in Rodgers and Hart's ''On Your Toes'' at the Palace Theatre in London's West End. ...

... Steve * Peter Kelly ... Carlo * Liz Daniels ... Flower Lady * Francesca DeRose ... Tour Guide #1 * Francesco Tola ... Tour Guide #2 * Roberto Minozzi ... Tour Guide #3 * Livio Galass ... Desk Clerk

Reviews and reception

The film was given 2 and a half stars by Hal Ericson of Allmovie.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title , id = 0099284 , title = Coins in the Fountain. 1990 television films 1990 films 1990 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films CBS network films Films based on American novels Works by John Secondari Films set in Rome Films set in Italy 1990s English-language films 1990s American films