Introduction:

Director: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden,
Ed Burns

Details: US / 107mins (12A)



Jane (Heigl) is the quintessential 'yes person', who also appears to be
forever the bridesmaid and never the bride - having worn the 'runner-up
garment' 27 times. After her younger, model-like sister returns home from
Europe, Jane's world is turned upside down when the love of her life (and
her boss) George (Burns) falls for her sister's somewhat counterfeit charms.
As Jane's affability is tested to the limit with their fledgling romance, a
cynical stranger (Marsden) vies for her affections. There is something about
Katherine Heigl that transcends the tag of habitual romantic comedy
performer, besides being beautiful and talented - and it's that her
naturallly goofy performances shine through, even when headlining the
generic likes of 27 Dresses. Here, her character is hardly original (having
appeared in basically every Matthew McConaughey film for the past decade),
yet the young actress succeeds in injecting that special something into Jane
that engages us, despite her predictable predicament. Sure, the direction is
infinitely bland and wholly uninspired, with the script seemingly ticking
off every cliche in the romantic comedy handbook as it goes along; but 27
Dresses proves that talent can float to the top when initially appearing to
drown in surrounding excrement. Another actor grasping his first real
romantic lead is James Marsden, who charms with a surprisingly pessimistic
character, despite being underwritten to the point of suffocation. We learn
one thing about his past in a throwaway comment that is never touched-on
again, yet it doesn't manage to hurt his noteworthy turn. For all intents
and purposes, this film would have been rendered barely-watchable without
those two, as Ed Burns phones in another performance, and Malin Akerman
draws the shortest end of the stick as the spoilt sister who takes advantage
of her elder sibling's kind-hearted nature. Undemanding romantic comedy
fanatics, will of course, eat all of this up; for the rest of us, there's
the two excellent leads, but not a lot else.