27 Dresses

Romantic comedies are almost always predictable and follow similar story lines. I wasn't very keen on watching '27 Dresses'. Let's just say it's not my kind of film. But it turned out to be not too bad. While it does not exactly rank among the best of its genre, it has its own charm and that's one of the few things that make a romantic comedy likable. While the story isn't new, McKeena's writing offers some new devices and the dialogues are quite funny. Fletcher's storytelling is quite impressive too as he introduces the characters and then lets the events unfold. The layered characters Jane and Kevin are very real. I also like it when the leads are played by good actors who have hardly attempted to do films romantic comedies in the past and they manage to pull it off. Heigl and Marsden have the required chemistry. Both actors do a fine job. Katherine Heigl brings out the depth of her character with ease, while James Marsden is funny without going over-the-top. The sizzling Malin Akerman does well as the obnoxious Tess. Edward Burns's role doesn't require much but he's okay. Judy Greer is brilliant and she owns all her scenes. So what makes '27 Dresses' watchable is the chemistry between the actors, the funny lines, the presentation of the story, a nice soundtrack and its unique charm and sense of humour and the fact that it didn't bore me.

A girl is the bridesmaid everyone dreams of. Punctual, helping in any way she can, refuses to say no no matter how impossible the task at hand, etcetera. The same girl is also single, unable to bind to anyone as she keeps putting her self aside to be able to aid others. But a change of things is in the wind.

27 dresses starts by quickly explaining its main characters by cycling through some scenery that works well for such purpose. Since none of the characters are very difficult (if at all) it doesn't take long and actually takes just long enough. It then continues with the rest of the story and that is where things go wrong. It's a very typical tale and been seen far too often in films already. And although this can still work out in some occasions it can only do so when it brings it with a certain flair and strong dialog. And that's where this one fails - it brings a standard story with a next to standard grace and that just isn't good enough any more.

It does show potential in some parts of the film and I am sure that if it had held on to the pace and dialog in those parts that it would have become one of the best films of the year so far, but now, it's a thirteen in a dozen that is best watched on DVD during the more boring parts of the day.

5 out of 10 wedding dresses smudged with bleakness

I watch Grey's Anatomy every week so I guess I'm a bit of a Katherine Hiegel fan. I liked her in Knocked Up and she's decent in this film. In fact the whole cast is quite good. I just felt like I had seen this film before somewhere (or parts of it in different films). I guess I watched it because I'm getting married soon so I wanted to see the dresses in the film (and there are some amazing ones and some interesting ones for those who care about dresses). The audience didn't seem to laugh as much as I thought they would. This is not the same kind of film as Knocked Up and maybe people were expecting that. Otherwise, its a decent Tuesday-night date movie.

Out of a good conscious, I cannot give this movie anything higher than a 6, although, sometimes I think it deserves even less. This movie followed the conventional script by EVERY step. Basic plot: single white female, hardly/never been a real relationship, finds the right guy under the wrong circumstances. These romcoms are particularly set in New York City(like 27 Dresses) or in a country town.

At this point, I could pretty much give you detail to detail without checking the spoiler marker and I doubt anyone would be upset at me. You don't need to watch this at all to know the beginning, middle, and end of the movie.

The beginning contrives of the childhood moment, followed by character introductions. It has the I'm-better-than-you younger sibling, the supportive parent(s), and the complete opposite best friend(played by Judy Greer, once again).

The middle consist of the turning point where the main character begins to fall for the leading male role(to my surprise, James Marsden played the lead and not the "other man" this time around) but completely denies it until the ending of the middle, which is usually followed by the embarrassing climax of the movie... that follows with a melancholic montage.

The ending... *sigh* the most predictable of them all. The leading female comes to the realization of her mistakes and through some usually comedic last-minute scenarios, she apologizes and get her man.

We saw this over and over. I'm seriously not one to complain about predictable movies. I can watch the cliché romcom and still enjoy them... if they are enjoyable. This was, in fact, enjoyable. I laughed, I smiled, I frowned, and then I said "awwww!" as the credits were rolling, in that exact order. It was nothing new.

Bottom Line: If you like the cliché, then you'll LOVE this movie.

For many the plot of this movie feels formulaic and revisited. Jane (Katherine Heigl) is the people-pleaser of the century. A somewhat spineless nice girl who can't say no to anyone, she has been a bridesmaid 27 times, often exceeding her duties in every wedding. For all her romantic yearnings, she can't seem to hook her boss, George (Ed Burns) whom she has been in love with for years. When her self-centered little sister Tess (Malin Akerman) comes in and manages to snag George, Jane once again capitulates to everyone's needs but her own. In comes Kevin (James Marsden), a newspaper columnist stuck covering weddings who yearns to break out and write about more important things. Under the pretense of covering George and Tess's wedding, he really is writing about Jane and her perpetual bridesmaid stints. Complications ensue etc. etc.

For me, what really made this movie was the performances. Katherine Heigl did an absolutely fantastic job playing the woman that I'm sure everyone has felt like at one time. She brought a lot of spice to what could have been a one-note role. James Marsden is also pitch-perfect as the cynical reporter, a foil to Jane. It helps that they have good fight-and-kiss chemistry.

Also, for me the story line was not as tired and recycled as people made it out to be. It had some fresh spin and I really enjoyed it. I also preferred the ending to this movie to many chick-flick comedies which leave things open-ended and almost unrealistic. 27 Dresses wraps up all the plot lines in one neat sequence that is a truly worthy finale.

All in all, as far as romances and rom-coms go, this one shot to the top of my list.