27 Dresses

By Adam Weeks

So, what can you really say about “27 Dresses”, AKA the post “Knocked Up” Katherine Heigl R.C.V.? That’s Romantic Comedy Vehicle for the folks playing along at home. Well, let’s keep it simple, and start with the story:

Jane (Katherine Heigl) is the living embodiment of the saying “Always a Bridesmaid, never a Bride” – when we are first introduced to her, she is splitting a frantic evening between two weddings, both of which she is the Maid of Honour at. During her racing between receptions, she catches the eye of Kevin (James Marsden), a Wedding story reporter for the New York Journal.

After sharing a taxi, Jane leaves her Filo-Fax in the cab, where Kevin soon discovers that Jane has been a major part in the planning and execution of 27 weddings over the years (ta-dah!), and he begins to dig a little deeper for the purposes of writing a cover feature. In the meantime, Jane’s sister Tess has returned from a trip in Italy – only to fall straight into the arms of Jane’s boss George (Edward Burns) – who unfortunately is also the guy that Jane has been fantasizing about for years, so when he pops the question, Jane finds herself in the awkward position of having to plan her sister’s wedding to the man of her dreams – all the while putting up with Kevin’s continual digging into her life.

So that’s it in a nutshell.

The question is – does it redefine the genre? No.

Is it full of surprising twists & turns? No.

Does Katherine Heigl get partially/fully nude? Unfortunately not.

Is it as predictable as “Picture Perfect”, “Fever Pitch”, “50 First Dates”, or any other typical Romantic Comedy? Yes indeed.

Despite all of these things, is it worth my time? You know what… yeah, it is.

A lot of the good stuff of the film is the always likeable Katherine Heigl playing it very safe, but still sweet & funny at the same time & James Marsden in a decent (and might I add – well deserved) leading man role for a change. The supporting cast, from Judy Greer as Casey, a co-worker of Jane’s, Malin “Smokin’ Hot” Akerman, or a long time fave of mine, Edward Burns – all pull their weight in fairly slim roles – but the cast all gel together, so like the aforementioned flicks like “Picture Perfect” (which this film heavily reminds me of), it’s a very breezy, fun little film that’s a pleasant way to spend an afternoon with.

“27 Dresses” isn’t a cut-above the standard flick like a “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, and won’t get the kind of love that those occasional films do, but for what it is – it’s a nice flick that you could do a lot worse than putting down a couple of dollars for.