27 DRESSES: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Jane (Katherine Heigl) is a romantic who thrives on helping her many friends make their wedding day perfect. She is the ideal bridesmaid - and has 27 dresses in her crammed wardrobe to prove it. She is also indispensable to her boss George (Edward Burns) who runs an outdoor sports equipment business. George has no idea however, that Jane has a super-size crush on him. When Kevin (James Marsden), a cynical newspaper reporter who covers the weddings scene, discovers Jane is a perpetual bridesmaid, and - unbeknownst to her - put together a story about her. Meanwhile, Jane's younger, flighty sister Tess (Malin Akerman) arrives from out of town and to Jane's dismay, when Tess meets George, it's love at first sight.

Review by Louise Keller:
Thanks to Katherine Heigl, this formulaic and saccharine sweet romantic comedy is more palatable than its predictable script and cardboard cut-out characters suggest. Heigl is so likeable that we love her wedding-obsessed Jane from the start. Vibrant, fresh and enthusiastic, Heigl can even make cleaning her teeth entertaining to watch. But I am disappointed in the film, which starts with a flourish as Jane niftily shows she can be a bridesmaid at two different weddings on the same night, but fizzles into mediocrity with an uninspired script from Aline Brosh, whose wit and satire in The Devil Wears Prada led us to expect more.

There are a couple of good lines (The only animals she likes are dead ones with sleeves; You hit notes only dogs can hear) but there is a distinct lack of charisma between the key characters. Edward Burns as Jane's dream-boss is as stiff as a board (we never really understand why she is smitten by him), while handsome-featured James Marsden as the cynical journalist who begrudgingly writes about weddings, seems too lightweight to attract Heigl's attention. Even the pub scene when too much alcohol leads to a sing-song of Elton John's Benny and the Jets fails to get a head of steam. Malin Akerman, who was so good in The Heartbreak Kid, is over directed as Jane's frivolous model sister Tess, a role we can imagine Cameron Diaz playing (much better). I liked Judy Greer as Jane's spirited best friend Casey, with deadpan delivery. Another plus is the sense of being in New York - the Central Park scenes are great.

As the story progresses, it is clear that the 27 dresses of the title are a poor hanger on which the plot needs to hang. Female audiences will enjoy the fashion parade and the film is a pleasant enough interlude for the undemanding. But it has none of the oomph or heart of Knocked Up, and the schmaltzy ending is yet another let down.

There are commentaries on the DVD.

Published May 8, 2008