KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * *
Cast: Edward Burns, James Marsden, Katherine Heigl, Malin Akerman
Director: Anne Fletcher
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: PG (coarse language)
Screening: SkyCity and Hoyts
Verdict: Light, fluffy fun, and instantly forgettable apart from the frocks.
As a bridesmaid once made to wear a flowery fluorescent pink frock with puff sleeves and a large bow at the bottom of its V-shaped back, this romantic comedy about a serial bridesmaid who has kept all the 27 tragic dresses she's been made to wear, sounded appealing.
The story itself isn't bad. It's a slightly different take on The Wedding Planner in the sense it's a story about a single woman Jane (Heigl), who spends every spare second organising her many friends' weddings, even though she is not an actual wedding planner.
Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, Jane is obsessed with weddings, to the extent she cuts out the New York Journal wedding announcements column each week and dreams that one day her story will be in the paper, ideally announcing her engagement to boss George (Edward Burns) with whom she is secretly in love.
Jane's busy but lonely life is turned upside down when her gorgeous sister Tess (Malin Akerman) arrives in town, catching the eye of her boss. Before Jane knows it, George and her sister are announcing their engagement.
Just to push her over the edge, Kevin (James Marsden), the wedding writer she admires so much, turns up to do a story on her sister, but he's not the romantic guy she imagined but rather an anti-marriage cynic that she had the displeasure of meeting recently at a wedding.
This film is predictable and follows a standard romantic comedy formula but it doesn't really matter; it's a Valentine's Day release after all. 27 Dresses is cute, and occasionally funny and quirky, but lacks a clear and cohesive script which is surprising, as it's the work of The Devil Wears Prada screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. Worse still, no matter how charming the characters, the lack of on-screen chemistry means it's a real stretch to believe there is any true love here. Fortunately there are 27 wonderful bridesmaid creations to keep you entertained.
