27 Dresses follows the adventures of Jane (Heigl), a perennial bridesmaid who's had the word no exorcised from her vocabulary. Jane should be getting paid as a wedding planner but instead her full-time job is working as the right-hand woman to the CEO of an environmentally-friendly clothing and outdoor equipment company. Said CEO, George (Edward Burns), is a hunk and a half who loves dogs, does lots of charity work, and is clueless to the fact Jane has a massive crush on him.
George however isn’t blind to all pretty women. When Jane’s sassy sister Tess (Malin Akerman) comes for a visit, George falls pretty much head over heels for the perky blonde and in record time the two are engaged and Jane’s left to plan their nuptials.
James Marsden enters the scene as Kevin, a newspaper reporter who covers the wedding beat. Kevin’s cynical demeanor masks the fact he writes lovely articles that have brides-to-be vying for his attention. Kevin spots Jane going from wedding to wedding and decides she’s worthy of a special column, one which he hopes will do well enough to free him forever from covering the wedding beat – a job he claims to loathe doing. Despite their opposing outlooks on life, Jane and Kevin develop an uneasy sort of friendship. And because 27 Dresses springs from the romantic comedy cookie cutter mold, that uneasy friendship is, of course, the heart of the story.
27 Dresses gives Grey's Anatomy fans a chance to see Heigl charm her way through the role of an ever-dependable bridesmaid forced into wearing some of the most outrageous dresses ever concocted and yet somehow able to smile through the taffeta, lace, and even leather ordeals. As Jane, Heigl gets to do a little physical comedy as well as share some more serious moments with Akerman and Marsden. The entire film rests on her lovely shoulders and Heigl’s more than up to the task of being the lead actor. As predictable as things get, Heigl never lets up and never lets the audience down.
James Marsden and Katherine Heigl have real chemistry in 27 Dresses, and play well off each as their characters evolve from friendship into something more romantic. The drunken bar scene in which they sing (murder’s a better descriptive word) Elton John’s Benny and the Jets lets both actors really strut their stuff. Marsden’s one of those actors who just keeps plugging along, working steadily and turning in terrific supporting performances in a series of hit films (X-Men: The Last Stand, Hairspray, Enchanted). Marsden’s underrated now but as he keeps on delivering these scene-stealing performances, it shouldn’t be long until he leaves the ‘supporting’ roles behind to be the main draw.
The Bottom Line
GRADE: B
27 Dresses was directed by Anne Fletcher and is rated PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality.
Theatrical Release Date: January 18, 2008
