If the thought of being a bridesmaid in 27 weddings seems more than a little intimidating to you, then it’s safe to say the thought of wearing 27 horrible bridesmaid’s dresses is truly frightening. Yet, Katherine Heigl pulls it off with humor and aplomb in her latest movie, “27 Dresses.”
Heigl plays Jane, a woman whose life is built around making everybody else’s lives easier. Having been a bridesmaid so many times before, she knows exactly what to do to make sure a wedding goes as perfectly as possible. However, when Jane’s sister wants her to help plan her marriage to Jane’s boss—a man Jane has been in love with forever—Jane has to figure out how to take charge of her own life.
“27 Dresses” is a refreshing romantic comedy. While providing the expected formulas of the genre, such as a supportive, if sarcastic, best girlfriend (Judy Greer) and a confusing new love interest (James Marsden), the movie also provides a much more sympathetic main character than usual. Jane is genuine and easy to identify with. Heigl’s performance gives the film substance and takes it a step beyond the typical romantic comedy.
Heigl’s co-star, Marsden, is her perfect counterpoint. While she is romantic and giving, he is cynical, and her optimism is met with his sarcasm. Marsden shows versatility in a complete 180 from his recent role as the naïve prince in “Enchanted,” reluctantly writing articles for the “Commitments” section of the New York Journal while professing a mistrust of marriage. At first, the two find little in common with each other and little to agree on. As both actors have a finely tuned sense of comedic timing, their volatile relationship keeps the pace of the film moving quickly as they bicker throughout wedding cake appointments and rehearsal dinners.
Though Jane’s relationships with the other characters in the movie keep the plot moving, the real focus of the film is on Jane herself. Her character must learn that what she values and needs is as important as the values and needs of others, and with the help of Marsden, she learns how to say “No” when it’s called for. Her struggles to find out what she really wants from her life are complicated by her sister’s wedding and her own feelings for her sister’s fiancé.
Heigl once again delivers a clever and sympathetic performance. “27 Dresses” deftly balances humor, romance and self-discovery in a warm and funny story that brings new attention to the expression, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”
