Dresses is good, but film is no special occasion
27 Dresses, director Anne Fletcher’s newest romance-comedy, is no Oscar contender. However, the movie is pulled off with humor and freshness, and despite its formulaic plot, 27 Dresses is a safe bet for fans of the chick-flick genre.
Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) stars as Jane, a young and reliable office aide who has served as a bridesmaid in a whopping twenty-seven weddings, all the while dreaming of a perfect wedding of her own. It’s easy to see Jane’s problem from the start: She is a one-dimensional, almost saintly character intent upon satisfying the wishes of others in order to perfect what she calls “possibly the most important day of their lives.”
But before long, Jane has a more immediate problem. Her massive infatuation with her boss, George (The Holiday’s Edward Burns), backfires when he gets engaged to her younger sister Tess (The Heartbreak Kid’s Malin Akerman) and is asked to plan the wedding. Chaos erupts between the two sisters, bringing back past conflicts and causing Jane to question her devotion to her friends’ and family’s wishes.
After a chance meeting, Jane develops a close relationship with wedding banns journalist Doyle (X-Men III: The Last Stand’s James Marsden). Although he claims to be writing a front-page article on Tess’ marriage to George, this turns out only to be a pretext so that Doyle can gather information on Jane’s life as an eternal bridesmaid.
The dialogue between this leading pair gives rise to most of the best moments of the movie: Jane acts an effective ‘straight-man’ to contrast Kevin’s witty and often semi-insightful cynicism. The audience recognizes the couple’s impending relationship long before Jane herself does, but their inevitable union still manages to come across as both joyful and cathartic.
Marsden effectively taps into his offbeat character. Heigl’s charm comes across easily, just as it does in Knocked Up. Her beauty makes her a bit implausible as a single professional with no marriage prospects, but she still shines in her role of a hopelessly enamored personal assistant.
Parts of the romantic storyline, not surprisingly, tend towards real cheesiness. Marsden is a bit nauseating when he describes his favorite part of a wedding: the look in the groom’s eyes as he watches the bride advance down the aisle.
Still, much of the movie’s charm stems from its lack of pretension. The cast members, for the most part, treat their roles as the light-hearted endeavors they are. Supporting roles are especially notable, including Akerman as the deliciously monomaniacal Tess and Judy Greer (Arrested Development) as Jane’s kooky friend Casey. While there is little convincing romantic chemistry between Marsden and Heigl, their dialogue and physical comedy are a passable substitute.
Ultimately 27 Dresses is a cinematic success within the context of its genre’s expectations.
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