Movie Notes: 27 Dresses

June 16th, 2008

= 3 stars

Starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman
Directed by Anne Fletcher

Synopsis

A bridesmaid 27 times, Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl), conceals feelings for her boss, George (Edward Burns). Her love life is further complicated after meeting cynical writer Kevin (James Marsden) and her sister Tess (Malin Akerman) catches George’s eye.

The Good

• Katherine Heigl of Grey’s Anatomy and Knocked Up nobly fleshes out a hopeless character, giving Jane a serious edge that grounds her in reality — definitely helpful as the supporting characters are rom-com cliches (vapid sister, competing male love interests, snarky co-worker [cute Judy Greer]).

The Bad

• The plot is clockwork city — two attractive, non-threatening yet oh-so different guys; which one will Jane choose? Meanwhile, evil people must be shamed.
• The film pushes the “I would never date you” thing pretty hard, so when Jane finally chooses her guy (as she must), it feels rather wrong (Elton John isn’t that awesome). It’s like — Jane’s been a bridesmaid so often she has to get married.

Conclusion

Every aspiring actress has to prove herself in a dorky rom-com. Katherine Heigl succeeds admirably, and should move onto bigger and more challenging roles. Always a bridesmaid, soon to be a bride.

IMDB: 27 Dresses
Wikipedia: 27 Dresses
Rotten Tomatoes: 27 Dresses 37%