(Let‘s put it this way: if there was a World Cup for being a bridesmaid, this chick would have nailed it - hands down…)
CAST: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Ed Burns, Judi Greer, Brian Kerwin.
DIRECTOR: Anne Fletcher
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one seriously accommodating veteran bridesmaid - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: Despite being a statuesque uber-hottie, Jane (Katherine Heigl) has yet to get married. Right, okay. Whatever. On the bridesmaids front, though, she is most definitely a pro. Yup - she’s been a Gal Friday for 27 brides for 27 weddings in a row, making her somewhat of an old-timer at the wedding prep thang. Things take a turn for the fucked-up when her visiting spoiled bitch sister Tess (Malin Akerman) sets her eyes on Jane’s hunky boss George (Ed Burns). What’s wrong with that, you ask? Oh, nothing much - just that Jane is crazy about George and has secretly loved him all these years. And now Baby Sis is about to bag that particular piece of Jane-coveted man-ass. To make things even more fucked-up, Tess requests - nay, expects - Jane to do her usual “Bridesmaid Does It All” routine for Tess and George’s suddenly-announced marriage. And if that wasn’t enough to seriously piss on Jane’s parade, she has to contend with cynical bastard journalist Kevin (James Marsden) covering Tess’s wedding, who thinks marriage is basically the last form of legal slavery - and doesn’t mind telling Jane every chance he gets. Damn, girl. It’s okay…. We won’t hold it against you if sneak a sip of the sauce to get through your day…
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Jane, if she ever finds the cojones to tell Tess basically go take her wedding to George - and shove it where she ain’t ever gonna need to wear sunblock.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: Oh, hell… where do I start? Katherine Heigl, Malin Akerman, and Judi Greer as Jane’s zany best pal Casey are fine specimens of the female gender. In the meantime, James Marsden, Ed Burns, and Brian Kerwin as Jane and Tess’s clueless dad Hal, spend the movie playing “Quien Es Muy Macho?” The winner: James Marsden, baby.
MOST INTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS SCENE: Jane leveling a condescending old crone by reminding her that it’s a lot easier to have hot meaningless sex when you are single and unmarried. Damn it.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS SCENE: The scene where Jane tries to convince Kevin that her 27 bridesmaid dresses aren’t the unfashionable train wrecks that they are…. That’s right, sweetie. Keep telling yourself that.
HOTTEST SCENE: Jane doing sit-ups very very late at night in her apartment. Not sure why I find this so sexy, since I would rather eat broken glass and wash it down with isopropyl alcohol than do a single crunch. Which explains why I’m fat. But whatever… Oh, and the sight of Kevin dripping wet after a rainstorm is also enough to make one, uh, dripping wet… Or do I need help?
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Will Jane be able to, in the words of the terminally-sarcastic Casey, “plan your sister’s wedding to the man you love”? Or will her heart collapse first? Will she confess to George that she really loves him? What about Kevin? Is he right when he says George doesn’t deserve Jane? Is he just saying this because he has the hots for Jane himself? Will anyone reveal Tess to be the skank that she is? Who will marry who in the end? George and Tess? Jane and George? Kevin and Kane? Casey and Tess? Chris Evans’ twin and I on the shores of Hawaii? Oh, wait. That already happened.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “27 DRESSES”: If you love romantic comedies centered on weddings that are not too sappy and sardonic in the right places. And if you adore Katherine Heigl. Which I do. In spades.
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “27 DRESSES”: If you have an allergic reaction to romantic comedies about weddings. In that case, this movie might just level you. It sure knocked over Chris Evans’ twin. Such a man...
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Starting from an intriguing concept of a woman who is “always a bridesmaid and never a bride”, then multiplying it by 27, then employing a cast that is equally talented and attractive - and the result is 27 DRESSES. The glue holding this film together is the central character of Jane. As played by Katherine Heigl, Jane is never less than fascinating and relatable. Much of this has to do with Heigl’s approachable aura. Jane may appear intimidatingly beautiful, but once you make the jump to talk to her, she opens up and blossoms.
Heigl sells both the character’s sentimental attachment to the tradition of marriage, but also her level-headed and direct approach to life. Another actress (say, Meg Ryan) might have sunk the character by turning her into a fluttering ditz (as Ryan did with her character in the highly overrated SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE), but Heigl understands that Jane is multi-faceted and plays her that way. The result is a heroine who is both emotionally vulnerable and tentative but also tough and together at the same time. It’s a great combo.
It helps greatly that almost all of the cast is peopled by all the right performers. Ed Burns makes for just the right mix of dashing, charming, and smug as George, the boss whom Jane secretly adores. He’s dashing and charming enough to make us understand why Jane would fall for him, but also smug enough to make us also understand Jane’s realization later on that he doesn’t deserve her. Malin Akerman is similary well-cast as Jane’s spoiled sister who’s used to getting what she wants. Kudos to the script and Akerman by successfully keeping Tess from turning into a hissably one-note antagonist. There’s a nice reconciliation scene between the sisters near the end that is very well-played by Heigl and Akerman.
As for the last major female cast member, Judi Greer proves again to be a comic delight as Casey, Jane’s witheringly sarcastic (and highly promiscuous) best friend. The Sarcastic Best Friend has become a staple in romantic comedies - but Greer takes that archetype and delivers one of its best examples. In her hands, Casey is the gal pal that everyone should have: funny, brave, crazy, adventurous, saucy, sassy, and extremely loyal. I can’t wait to see Greer be the heroine of her own romantic comedy.
If 27 DRESSES has a slight flaw, it’s with James Marsden as Kevin, the film’s true love interest. Marsden is technically fine as the cynical journalist whose hard exterior conceals a soft heart, and he is certainly attractive enough to hold your attention. However, the chemistry that he shares with Heigl is more of a “comfortable-hanging-out-friends-buds” type, rather than the “smoldering-circle-around-each-other-because-we-don’t-know-what-to-do-about-the-smolder” type. We need the potent chemistry that Heigl shared with Gerard Butler in THE UGLY TRUTH (review # 133), the one Angelina Jolie had with Brad Pitt in MR. AND MRS. SMITH (review coming later), or the sultry simmer between Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell in CAPTAIN AMERICA (review # 374).
That kind of chemistry is missing between Heigl and Marsden in 27 DRESSES. They seem more like close comfortable pals than two people with an electric connection. And that lends a lukewarm aspect to their interactions. The character of Kevin is fine, and Marsden in the role is okay on all fronts - except the romantic one. It’s no fault of his or Heigl’s. It’s just that chemistry is a mystery. Just because it exists, doesn’t mean it’s the right kind. Having the right chemistry is like catching lightning in a bottle.
In the end, 27 DRESSES is a pleasant romantic comedy with a near-perfect cast. It’s sweet, but also tart enough to keep things somewhat real. And it’s certainly leagues ahead of other romantic comedies about weddings, like BRIDE WARS and SOMETHING BORROWED. All in all, a solidly good film.
