Despite its standard rom-com structure and relatively superficial story, this film entertains the audience with the sheer charisma of the actors.
27 Dresses (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:142
Fresh:57
Rotten:85
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: The filmmakers perfectly follow the well-worn romantic comedy formula, rendering 27 Dresses clichéd and mostly forgettable.
Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Mild sexual references and coarse language
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Comedies
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 10, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $76,624,274
Synopsis: KNOCKED UP's Katherine Heigl stars in this romantic comedy about a selfless young woman who is trapped in the role of perennial bridesmaid. Set in New York City, the film opens with Jane (Heigl)... KNOCKED UP's Katherine Heigl stars in this romantic comedy about a selfless young woman who is trapped in the role of perennial bridesmaid. Set in New York City, the film opens with Jane (Heigl) racing by cab to appear in two friends' weddings in the same night. She is the maid of honor for both fetes, and she rushes back and forth in time to shimmy to both electric slides. She meets Malcolm (James Marsden), a cynical young man who, unbeknownst to her, writes for a newspaper's wedding column. Malcolm is intrigued by the sheer number of times Jane has played bridesmaid, and he secretly decides to write a story about her. To further complicate Jane's life, her younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) has just come to town and ensnared Jane's longtime crush, George (Edward Burns). When George and Tess become engaged, Jane faces the humiliating prospect of playing bridesmaid in the wedding of her sister and the man she loves. Meanwhile, Malcolm continues hounding Jane, and Jane's life and closet soon explode in a taffeta-tangled mess that forces her to make some big changes. Heigl is a pleasure to watch, as she has the kind of crowd-pleasing, no-nonsense presence that could ground any film, so 27 DRESSES greatly benefits from her comedic skill and charm. While the film features all of the hallmarks of chick flick fare (wacky best friend, dress-up sequence, obnoxious but strangely attractive love interest) the story often veers into territory that may leave some feeling it stretches even the romantic comedy standards for suspension of disbelief. Heigl deserves comparisons to Julia Roberts for her sheer likability, and like PRETTY WOMAN, women will likely watch 27 DRESSES as a pleasant diversion--aware of the fantasy, but still delighted by the attractive lady in the different outfits. [More]
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward Burns
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward Burns, Melora Hardin, Judy Greer
Director: Anne Fletcher
Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriter: Aline Brosh McKenna
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman
Composer: Randy Edelman
Studio: Fox 2000 Pictures
Reviews for 27 Dresses
A fluffy, frivolous - if formulaic - indulgence for those of us who still enjoy the occasional, old-fashioned wedding fantasy.
Katherine Heigl impresses and James Marsden is predictably dreamy in this always a bridesmaid never a you-know-what, been there, done that cliché-ridden formulaic rom-com.
The dialogue is sharp, with just enough of an edge to avoid sentimentality.
27 Dresses sort of grows on you, thanks to Katherine Heigl's performance.
Katherine Heigl carries 27 Dresses when all else fails, which it does with great regularity.
Bridesmaid dresses are notorious for being unflattering, single occasion garments. Although formulaic, 27 Dresses wears well on its star.
Talk about setting the woman’s movement back by about a half-century.
not a bad film by any means, but there's just not anything special going on here either.
Amazingly derivative chick flick. In the final wedding scenes, Heigl is photographed and lit so poorly her nose looks as if she's gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.
Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, who adapted the far superior 'The Devil Wears Prada' for the screen, has penned a tale of love that makes a viewer long for eternal solitude.
If you can appreciate how they packed every romantic comedy cliché into one story, and did it with a full commitment of sincerity, that's how you should appreciate 27 Dresses.
Even in the brainless universe of romantic comedy...goes beyond the bounds of permissible absurdity even while it's following every step of obligatory formula.
'27 Dresses' may not be the best romantic comedy ever filmed, but it boasts extremely watchable performances by its likable co-stars.
Ultimately, the last thing we normal looking folk would hear as the firestorm engulfed us would be the mad cackling of these neo-Aryans as they made our world theirs.
A paint-by-the-numbers chick flick. Heigl and Marsden are likeable, and one does not leave the theater feeling that your intelligence has been insulted.
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