27 volte in bianco

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.

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.

Jane (Katherine Heigl) has always been good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking after herself. Her entire life has been about making people happy -- and she has a closet full of 27 bridesmaid dresses to prove it. One memorable evening, Jane manages to shuttle between wedding receptions in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a feat witnessed by Kevin (James Marsden), a newspaper reporter who realizes that a story about this wedding junkie is his ticket off the newspaper's bridal beat.

Jane finds Kevin's cynicism counter to everything she holds dear -- namely weddings, and the two lock horns. Further complicating Jane's once perfectly-ordered life is the arrival of younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman). Tess immediately captures the heart of Jane's boss, George (Edward Burns). Tess enlists her always-accommodating sister to plan yet another wedding -- Tess and George's -- but Jane's feelings for him lead to shocking revelations... and maybe the beginning of a new life. Very dry but still good. 27 Dresses 5/10

Although this movie is a bit typical, it's still a breezy, light hearted romp, which is all it appears to be trying to do. It's got formulaic construction familiar in romantic comedies, yet it knows it's just harmless fluff and doesn't try to be anything more.

Kathryn Heigl is certainly the strength of the film, with an exuberant approach to her "hopeless romantic" always the bridesmaid character who longs for that special day of her own. The performance is playful and silly when needed, and sweetly honest in the more serious moments. The rest of the cast are all good, too; the personality collisions of various characters are usually well done. The sight gags involving the dresses are clever, and the story runs its course effectively.

There are weaknesses, such as the ugly, mean spirited, and out-of-place slide show sequence. The script could have accomplished the point which is made there in some better way.

Light popcorn fun. Like fast food, it probably won't stick with you for long, but it's good for some entertaining silliness. One thing I'm still wondering: how much would scuba-gear set back the wedding party members?

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