Official Synopsis:
Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up, TV's Grey's Anatomy) lights up the screen in this charming romantic comedy from the screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada. Heigl stars as Jane, a romantic, completely selfless woman who's been a happy, helpful bridesmaid no less than 27 times. But her own fairy-tale wedding seems to be nowhere in sight, until younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) captures the heart of Jane's boss (Edward Burns) - with whom she's secretly in love - inspiring Jane to changer her "always a bridesmaid" destiny.

  
Our Take:
Every once in a while, you just need to watch a perfectly enjoyable and predicatable romantic comedy, and 27 Dresses is that comedy. There really isn’t anything about it that you don’t see coming a mile away, but ultimately it doesn’t matter because the film is cute and funny and charming.

Katherine Heigl shines here in more than one way. Not only does she easily carry the movie on her shoulders (she’s in literally every scene), but she’s a good enough actress to let herself get completely outshined by Malin Akerman, the beautiful actress who plays her sister. Akerman is supposed to be the one who always steals the spotlight, and Heigl smartly lets her, even dressing down with minimal make-up and fashion to give herself a more plain-jane look. Don’t get me wrong, Heigl is beautiful no matter what, but she doesn’t play for glamour here and it really works for her character. It’s also not to say that Akerman turns in the better performance, because Heigl is easily the stronger actress, but Heigl knows when to downplay both physically and emotionally.  In a throwaway rom-com, that’s a surprising amount of depth for an actresss to find.

James Marsden and Ed Burns star as well, but Marsden really manages to break out of his supporting role status and carry the romantic lead role with ease. He’s charming and intelligent, and the filmmakers never resort to playing him at odds with Burns, who’s an equally likable guy in his own right. The film doesn’t need a villain, which is nice; it’s just a good old fashioned love triangle of sorts.

The DVD comes with a handful of extra features. Here’s what’s included:

- Deleted Scenes.

- Four Making-Of and Behind-the-Scenes Themed Featurettes - The Wedding Party, You'll Never Wear That Again, Jane's World, and The Running of the Brides.

Women will love 27 Dresses because it’s the perfect little chick flick, but  guys who are forced into watching it will likely enjoy it almost as much. It’s a fun, romantic movie that is perfect for a date night at home.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD: B-

- Mike Spring

Editor