A mild, formulaic romantic comedy, Anne Fletcher’s 27 Dresses wastes a game cast with a paint-by-numbers screenplay; results could be worse, but what we’re left with is disposable, forgettable entertainment.
Katherine Heigl stars as Jane Nichols, a perpetual bridesmaid who loves attending weddings but pines for her own. She’s secretly in love with boss George (Edward Burns), until sister Tess (Malin Akerman) rolls into town and improbably manages to sweep him off his feet.
Guess who’s asked to become maid of honor at their shotgun wedding? Meanwhile, wedding columnist Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) begins a story on always-a-bridesmaid Jane under the guise of covering her sister’s wedding.
Can the cynical, improbably-employed Kevin win Jane’s heart even after publicly humiliating her?
That synopsis sounds like nothing short of torture; it’s a testament to the cast that this film is even watchable. Burns somehow manages to salvage his poorly-written character, and Judy Greer is delightful as the foul-mouthed best friend.
Heigl and Marsden are both appealing and likable, and have a decent amount of on-screen chemistry; I only wish they were in a better movie.
There’s a scene here (disarmingly similar to one in the recent P.S. I Love You) in which the romantic tension between two characters – built up during most of the film – is supposed to be deflated after a quick kiss where the characters “feel nothing”.
Rarely have I seen screenwriters take such an easy and unrealistic way out of a potentially dramatic situation.
