27 Dresses: a “Must See” Romantic Comedy
Posted on 19 March 2008 by Ashleigh Holmes
In spite of my evolved and liberated nature as a woman of the 21st century, I L-O-V-E LOVE the proverbial "chick flick." Love them! Can't stay away from 'em. Even when I tell myself that a logical, rational and well-established woman of my status shouldn't waste her time on such drivel, I still find myself smiling like the village idiot at some silly love story that could never happen in real life. Or could it? I think that's what keeps me going. The naïve, childish hope that the "fairy tale" really is possible.
So naturally, I was drawn to 27 Dresses for the storyline alone, but then they had to go and put Katherine Heigl in it as Jane, who takes the adage, "Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride," to an all new level. I L-O-V-E LOVE Katherine Heigl too. Most of my friends who adore Grey's Anatomy as much as I do love Meredith or Cristina, but I just can't get enough of Izzie; so I was thrilled to see that she was going to be in this.
When I first saw the trailer, I was a little puzzled over the male lead. I thought, "That's not Tom Everett Scott, is it?" Then it hit me. "Holy cow, that's James Marsden," the poor guy who always plays second fiddle to the likes of Hugh Jackman and Brandon Routh.
He's Cyclops in the X-Men films. He may be married to Jean Grey, but we all know she lusts after Wolverine (and who wouldn't??). He was the fiancé in The Notebook. I think every girl in the world cursed Rachel McAdams for having Ryan Gosling AND James Marsden fall in love with her. And he's Lois Lane's husband in Superman Returns. How bad does that suck? He doesn't even get the distinction of a name (it's Richard White for those who want to know); he's just "Lois' husband." Of course I wouldn't recognize him as the guy who gets the girl.
The cast is rounded out with Edward Burns as Jane's loveable boss, and Judy Greer as Jane's cynical, bed-hopping friend. Judy Greer has made quite a name for herself as the lead actresses' best friend in films like The Wedding Planner and 13 Going 30.
The screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna, who also adapted The Devil Wears Prada from the novel, is brilliant. The dialogue between Heigl and Marsden is golden, as is their chemistry. My favorite scenes, which I could watch over and over again, are between the two of them. You'll know which ones they are when you see them.
As with any film like this, there's got to be one character you love to hate, and Jane's sister, Tess, was that one for me. I (pick your verb of choice) loathed, detested, despised her. And since I'm an only child, I have no frame of reference for the sibling rivalry, but I can only imagine that the "sisterly love" was authentic.
As far as romantic comedies go, this is one of my favorites. I totally identified with several parts of the storyline, which always aids my enjoyment. In fact, I think most 20 and 30-something girls will, at some point in the film, find themselves thinking that they've been in a similar situation. Unfortunately, for me at least, I can't stand in my bathroom, thoughtfully brushing my teeth, looking ever so cute doing so, and suddenly decide that it's time I threw out all my old bridesmaids dresses. Instead, I have to be content throwing out the "baggage" from my metaphorical closet.
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