27 Dresses
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2008-09-06
If one were to look up "romantic comedy" in the dictionary, I have no doubt that "27 Dresses" would have its picture placed proudly next to the entry. It is the pinnacle of predictability and the epitome of forced formula. The thing about "27 Dresses" is that even before you watch it, you know you've already seen it. It's a serious case of déjà vu. After you're through, you wonder if somewhere, at some other time, or in some past life, you have already seen the movie or another variation of it. And the sad part is, you probably have. Pick any other romantic comedy from the last thirty years and you have "27 Dresses." The movie follows the formula so militantly that anyone who has seen the theatrical trailer could easily write the movie down precisely to the exact dialogue. It's that simple.
Ever heard the saying, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride"? Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl) lives by the words of that old adage. In fact, she has been a bridesmaid in twenty-seven weddings, and has twenty-seven different dresses, hence the title "27 Dresses." Naturally, since Jane is always helping others get married and helping them get started with their new lives, she doesn't have much time for herself. Of course, she does have a crush on her boss, George (Edward Burns), who can't seem to figure it out, while everyone else in the workplace does.
Also covering the wedding circuit is Kevin (James Marsden), a writer for the "New York Journal" who is waiting for his big break, a story that will jumpstart his career and help him get out of writing for the commitment section. Finally, he sees Jane and guess what, they meet. But Jane plays hard to get. She doesn't want to have a serious relationship, but he persists. Meanwhile, Jane's little sister Tess (Malin Akerman) comes to town after losing her job and sets her sights on George.
The movie's sole highlight, if it has any, is Katherine Heigl. She shows she has the ability to work with such subpar material and try to make it work. She's a beautiful, talented actress, and this movie will not define her career. "27 Dresses" is nonsense, and Heigl will outlive this drivel. There's nothing of merit, nothing even worth pointing out. As I said before, nothing I could write here about what transpired over the course of an hour and fifty minutes would be new to you. "27 Dresses" is simply another assembly line romantic comedy, and although for the right setting that may not necessarily be a bad thing, it is for the purposes of this review.
I could go on endlessly about the archetypal characters: the strong female lead, the cynical love interest trying to win her over, the slutty co-worker best friend, the semi-slutty boyfriend stealing sister, the boss who the lead has a crush on but is too dumb to realize it. Couple that with a boring story about finding yourself and true happiness and it reveals a very tired concept. It runs twenty to twenty-five minutes too long and overextends itself unnecessarily. More effort could have been placed on adding actual jokes or comical situations to lighten the mood and entertain the audience.
"27 Dresses" is standard practice for the genre of romantic comedies. It's fluff and there's no nice way of putting it. Heigl's charm alone is not enough to salvage anything the movie has to offer and it's best to leave it forgotten. A movie as predictable as "27 Dresses" serves only to allow keener viewers with an opportunity to outguess the writers. Watching it feels like the equivalent of reading a Jodi Picoult novel where the reader can easily plan the course of the novel out even in its early stages. Never have I seen a movie so set on being formulaic to the letter. For "27 Dresses," inherent predictability is not an acceptable substitute for entertainment.
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