27 Dresses: A Nice, Predictable Film

Katherine Heigl stars as Jane in the rated PG romantic comedy 27 Dresses. Jane has been a bridesmaid 27 times but has never been the bride. She's in love with her boss, George (played by Edward Burns), but he barely notices her, even after years of When Jane's sister breezes into town and snatches up George, poor Jane gets lined up for her 28th dress.

Jane has been working for George for years. Getting his coffee, fetching his burritos, doing whatever it took to get his attention, but all she got was appreciation. While she's been waiting for her boss to notice her, she's watched 27 of her friends get married and she has the bridesmaid dresses to prove it. She's prepared to keep living this existence until George finally opens his eyes or she dies of old age. At least that was her plan until her younger sister, Tess showed up.

Tess and George hit it off immediately and the wedding bells soon start ringing. The hits just keep coming as the happy pair sign Jane up to help plan their wedding, since she has so much experience in that area. While this is going on, Jane attracts the attention of Kevin (played by James Marsden). Kevin is the somewhat jaded writer of a wedding column in the local paper and thinks Jane's story could be his ticket out of his terrible job and into a serious writing gig.

At first, Jane and Kevin find themselves continually at odds, especially over their idea of relationships. As the find themselves spending more time together, their opinions of each other begin to change and the beginnings of something more develop. Will Jane ever get over her feelings for George or will she forever be a bridesmaid?

Romantic comedies seem to follow a fairly routine formula and 27 Dresses is no exception. It has all the required touching moments and funny ones but lacks spontaneity and surprise. This movie is technically sound and there isn't anything wrong with it. There really isn't anything about this movie that makes it stand out from any other romantic comedy, either. It follows the standard pattern of the starry-eyed girl in love with the guy who doesn't notice her. Add in the male friend who's in love with the girl and we have a formula that has been used for decades.

Heigl and the rest of the cast do a fine job and the script provides all the necessary ingredients for a good date movie. If you like romantic comedies, you'll probably enjoy this nice, if predictable, film. On the other hand, if you're looking for something with anything close to a plot twist or originality, you'll find 27 Dresses a disappointment.