Charming Heigl suited for '27 Dresses'
After starring in Judd Apatow's smart and daring, cliché-eviscerating romantic comedy "Knocked Up," Katherine Heigl strikes back in the entertaining, albeit dumbed-down, cliché-embracing romantic comedy "27 Dresses."
In Apatow's movie, the appealing Heigl proved herself capable of handling edgy stuff. Here, in choreographer-turned-director Anne Fletcher's film, Heigl is so much better than the material, she elevates it.
If you've seen the TV commercials or theatrical trailers for "27 Dresses," you've already seen the movie, at least the CliffsNotes version.
Heigl, the radiantly blonde star from ABC's hit TV series "Grey's Anatomy," plays Jane, a young woman who spends her life helping other women plan and execute their nuptials. She has 27 bridesmaid dresses stuffed in her closet to prove the point.
As the movie opens, Jane hires a bewildered taxi cab driver to ferry her back and forth between two different weddings the same evening. Neither bride realizes Jane has double-booked herself, but a New York Journal weddings reporter named Kevin (James Marsden, on the rebound from the fun "Enchanted") does.
In case anyone in the audience doesn't get that Jane is a perpetual bridesmaid, Kevin summarizes it for us: "You'd rather focus on other people's Kodak moments than make memories of your own!"
Jane wants memories. She has the unrequited hots for her bachelor boss George (Edward Burns, attempting to redeem himself from the abysmally bad horror tale "One Missed Call").
Her best friend Casey (Judy Greer, perfect in the Joan Cusack role of the caustically blunt sidekick) encourages Jane to tell George how she feels. She tries, but just as she musters the courage, George's romantic radar locks on to Tess (Malin Akerman), Jane's ditzy blonde sister who just blew into town for a visit.
In the blink of a fake eyelash, Tess startles Sis with an announcement: She and George will be married in three weeks! Guess who gets to be a bridesmaid -- again?
Nothing, absolutely nothing in "27 Dresses" comes as a surprise. Kevin the reporter decides to write a story on the Tess and George wedding, and he uses his friendship with Jane to obtain background information. Of course, he never tells Jane he's a wedding reporter.
Tess constantly lies about her interests and likes, setting herself up for an expected "surprise." Poor Jane can only watch in suffering silence as her dreams of her own wedding day seem to evaporate.
Aline Brosh McKenna's screenplay has echoes of the Chicago-shot comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding," complete with the trite (and I argue unfunny) woman-falling-down-for-laughs bit, coupled with the popular and overused "pop-tune group sing-along," this one an inebriated ode to "Benny and the Jets."
The guys don't get to do much here outside of fulfill their duties as generic leading men. At least Casey's direct, middle-finger approach to life juxtaposes nicely with Jane's quiet sweetness, which is really Heigl's quiet sweetness, which washes over all the worn patches in "27 Dresses" and makes them look new.
Rating: 2½ stars
Opens: tonight
Starring:
Katherine Heigl as Jane
James Marsden as Kevin
Malin Akerman as Tess
Edward Burns as George
Judy Greer as Casey
Written by Aline Brosh McKenna. Produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman. Directed by Anne Fletcher. A 20th Century Fox release. Rated PG-13 (language, sexual situations). Running time: 107 minutes.