27 Dresses - On DVD
Title: 27 Dresses
Director: Anne Fletcher
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Principle Actors: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer, Edward Burns
Length: 111 minutes
Release Date: April 29th, 2008 

Reviewed by Rosemary Newton (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

3 Stars 

Katherine Heigl stars in this cute, bubbly, and slightly flaky romantic comedy as Jane, an  accommodating and sweet women who can't say "no" to anyone. She has been an exceptionally helpful bridesmaid 27 times; and has the frighteningly tacky dresses to show for it. Despite being a hopeless romantic and true believer in love and fairy tale weddings, Jane is nowhere close to the event herself, and spends the majority of her days secretly pining after her rugged, good natured boss (Edward Burns) and reading the mushy "commitments" section of the New York Journal. Her placid, albeit boring, life is thrown upside down when her younger, gorgeous and
glamorous sister arrives in town and achieves in a few weeks what Jane has been unable to do in years; winning not only the affections of Jane's boss, but also a marriage proposal.

As resentment for her little sister grows and she gears up for her 28th gig as a bridesmaid, Jane is courted by Kevin (James Marsden), a good looking, smug, and slightly annoying journalist. He is desperately cynical, a contrast to Jane's sunny and optimistic persona; his motives are also unclear, is he truly interested in Jane, or is he using her sad tale of "always a bridesmaid" to write an article and get ahead in his career?  

27 Dresses doesn't take itself too seriously, and as a result is a chick-flick that delivers equal doses of sentiment and laughter. It is rather formulaic and largely unoriginal. Like all romantic comedies it features the characteristic misunderstanding between the two leads, and a neatly wrapped up ending. The beautiful Katherine Heigl gives a solid performance and is likable in her role as the under-appreciated girl next door; a character that could have easily been annoying and whiny in another actress' hands. She also demonstrates, as she did in Knocked Up, a talent for comedic delivery. Heigl is not afraid to act goofy and play down her good looks, which adds to her appeal as an actress. Her star is on the rise, and it is safe to say that she could very well be America's next sweetheart of the romantic comedy genre.

James Marsden is witty and believable in his portrayal of Kevin, and pulls off his role as the unlikely charmer effortlessly; although the chemistry between him and Heigl is somewhat questionable. Malin Akerman is shrill as the demanding Tess and teeters a bit too unsteadily between villain and empathetic victim. Judy Greer appears as Jane's likable best friend and offers comic relief in a crude, somewhat obnoxious kind of way. 

Written by the same woman who brought us the big screen adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada (Aline Brosh Mckenna) 27 Dresses features the same quick humour and clever dialogue, plus small doses of satire of the highly commercialized wedding industry and the "bridezillas" it creates. The 27 dresses themselves are shown in a montage like sequence, featuring Heigl dancing around among flash backs to the various weddings she has attended. Each one is uniquely horrible, and the montage makes for one of the best scenes in the film.

27 Dresses isn't ground breaking, nor is it original; we've seen it all before. But isn't that what romantic comedies are all about? The characters and plot are predictable, the humour is light and while emotional scenes are serious enough to be touching, they're not serious enough to affect the over all mood of the film. We know everything will turn out ok, the lead woman will get her man and they will live happily ever after. Above all, that is what romantic comedies offer; comfort. This is most definitely a chick flick; it may work as a date movie too, although certain sappier parts may induce eye rolling in the less fair sex. Overall I enjoyed this movie, 27 Dresses is entertaining and humorous and Katherine Heigl shines, enough so to carry an otherwise unremarkable film.

The DVD offers deleted scenes and several mildly amusing features entitled The Wedding Party, You'll Never Wear that Again, Jane's World and The Running of the Brides.