27 DRESSES
Director: Anne Fletcher Stars: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Edward Burns, Malin Ackerman, Judy Greer, Melora Hardin, Brian Kerwin, Maulik Pancholy, David Castro, Krysten Ritter
Reviewed by GREG KING
Katherine Heigl (from Grey’s Anatomy and last year’s surprise hit comedy Knocked Up) plays Jane, a plain lonely single woman whose biggest joy comes from playing bridesmaid to her friends. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Jane has now been bridesmaid 27 different times, and she has the dresses to prove it. Twenty-seven different, and sometimes outlandish, dresses are crammed into her small closet in her apartment, a colourful testament to her passion for weddings. Jane has willingly helped with the arrangements, doing all those odd jobs no one else wants to do, to ensure that the “big day” goes smoothly. Her quirky obsession though means she has no real life of her own. When we first meet Jane she is running back and forth between two weddings on the same night.
Jane also has a secret crush on her boss (Edward Burns), which is threatened by the arrival of her younger, selfish, money-grabbing sister Tess (Malin Ackerman, from The Heartbreak Kid, etc). She is forced to re-evaluate her life and priorities when her obsession is exposed by cynical reporter Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), who writes the wedding commitments column for the New York Journal. Despite the purple prose he uses to describe weddings though, Doyle remains a cynic, at one stage even suggesting that marriage is the only legally binding form of slavery still in existence. But Jane and Kevin find they have much in common, and despite their initial antagonism towards each other, sparks fly between them and… Well, you can probably guess the rest!
27 Dresses has been nicely written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) and contains some witty repartee and some amusing moments. The whole thing has been slickly directed by Anne Fletcher, the former choreographer who made her directorial debut with last year’s Step Up.
But the real strength of the film lies in the obvious chemistry between Heigl and Mardsen. Heigl is quite appealing and copes well with her role. With his chiselled cheekbones, piercing blue eyes and winning smile, Mardsen is a charming romantic lead, who has also endeared himself recently with roles as the dimwitted prince in Enchanted, Corky Collins in Hairspray and as Cyclops in the X-Men trilogy.
In a role slightly reminiscent to that she recently played as Ben Stiller’s bride from hell in The Heartbreak Kid, Ackerman plays the horrible, selfish sister well. As Jane’s best friend, Judy Greer also provides some cutting humour, and she gets some of the film's best lines.
Despite its unusual premise, 27 Dresses is still a fairly predictable and formulaic romantic comedy. However, it still has enough charm and genial humour to win over most audiences.
***
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
Good advice is what I need.
I am still not sure whether the term ‘chickflick’ is sexist and/or stereotypical. In the past there was ‘a woman’s picture’ but that now sounds discriminating. On the other hand, it seems all right to refer to a ‘man’s picture’, especially if it is full of gung-ho action. That one could also be called ‘one for the boys’ or ‘one for the boyos’. But there is still a problem about how to refer to 27 Dresses (screenplay by the writer of The Devil Wears Prada – what else? – and directed by choreographer, Anne Fletcher).
Let me venture my reaction. I have a good friend who passes on police thrillers to me. Sometimes she hesitates and tells me that a book is probably too ‘girly’ for my taste: it is probably filled with ‘women’s business’, secret or otherwise. Anyway, ‘girly’ was the word that came to mind within a few minutes of the film starting. A predeliction for bridal wear is fairly necessary for this film. The title’s 27 dresses are in the wardrobe of the main character, bridesmaid’s dresses. A habit and tolerance for fashion magazines would not go astray either.
Since I have started the review with very personal responses to the film, I will take the liberty of adding a further distraction. As I watched the charming Katherine Heigl’s absolute dedication to wedding planning, wedding attendance and wedding obsessions, the number two came to mind. For those who are involved in the Enneagram, she is an extreme example of a 2! – and for Myers Briggs devotees, she is a living ESFJ.
What more can one say? Katherine Heigl (who was so good in the funny, Knocked Up) has fine comic timing, can seem an ugly duckling only because the screenplay says she is, gets entangled with multiple weddings on the one evening (taxiing back and forth between them), is silently in love with her boss (Edward Burns), finds her sister engaged to him and is pestered by a cynical reporter that she can’t stand and who is the likeliest contender (despite their screwball comedy spats) for her walking down the aisle to wed. He is played with toothy and smiling charm by James Marsden from the X Men movies (and the grinning MC from Hairspray and the humorously two-dimensional Prince Charming from Enchanted).
The reviewer who sat next to me is definitely into realism and plausibility. She also definitely dislikes films which initially criticise some issue and finally indulge in it. She was not amused. I think I was, but, beyond that, I leave it to the connoisseurs of 27 or more dresses.