27 Dresses

Though completely predictable from start to finish and saddled with a premise that’s almost absurd in its obviousness (ie she loves weddings and he hates them!), 27 Dresses is nevertheless a genial, consistently watchable effort that undoubtedly benefits substantially from the uniformly compelling performances. Katherine Heigl stars as Jane, a successful corporate assistant who seems to spend all of her free time planning (and attending) other people’s weddings. Though she harbors a secret crush on her boss (Ed Burns’ George), Jane finds herself forced to look elsewhere for companionship after her gorgeous, supermodel sister (Malin Akerman’s Tess) shows an interest in George. Such problems are exacerbated by the arrival of intrepid reporter Kevin (James Marsden) on the scene, as it eventually becomes clear that he’s writing a story on Jane’s bizarre wedding fixation to further his career. There’s little doubt that Heigl’s effortlessly charming performance goes a long way towards smoothing over many of 27 Dresses‘ overtly rough edges, though it’s just as clear that the movie’s lamentably melodramatic and downright manipulative third act effectively sucks all the energy right out of the proceedings (worse still, one can’t shake the feeling that screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna is pandering to female viewers lacking in self-esteem). The awfully romantic finale admittedly ensures that the movie concludes on a high note and it’s hard not to derive some enjoyment out of the quirky supporting cast (which includes, among others, Judy Greer playing the umpteenth sarcastic, man-hungry best friend of her career), yet there’s just no denying that 27 Dresses is far from the intelligent and innovative romcom one might’ve expected from the scripter of The Devil Wears Prada.

**1/2 out of ****