"27 Dresses" is fairly watchable if you enjoy fluffy rom coms, and you do not expect realism. Katherine Heigl plays Jane, a woman who has served as a bridesmaid in 27 friends' weddings. Jane is enamored of wedding planning and probably should be a professional wedding or event planner. Instead, she works at s"a small company owned by do-gooder George (Ed Burns, who seems miscast and uncomfortable in a dull role). Jane imagines herself in love with idealistic George, but instead, he falls for her shallow, beautiful younger sister, Tess, exacerbating resentment between the sisters.
When Jane meets Kevin (James Marsden, who redeems the movie with his charm), a famous wedding columnist, there are sparks, although she has no idea he thinks her story-the cliche of the perpetual bridesmaid longing to be a bride-could be more interesting than another wedding couple's backstory.
While viewers may criticize "27 Dresses" as a shallow movie trafficking in stereotypes, I know many women like Jane. I think the film touches on the sadness many lonely single people experience in a society where one is still expected to be coupled. There is a "wedding industry" marketing fantasies and tropes to women (mostly) for profit. And it's very successful!
I wish the movie did not make Jane seem quite so desperate and even drab at times, but you do get the sense that she struggles with her need to be the pleasant one, the helper that everyone can depend on, and why she does this. Again, I found Marsden to be the saving grace of "27 Dresses," because he sparkles on screen with humor, intelligence and good looks. I also like the fact that he is either her height or a little shorter than her. When do you see that in Hollywood movies? It's more realistic. Jane is obviously tall. Kevin is not the man she has imagined herself falling for-and that creates the tension of attraction in the movie.
As with any rom com, you must suspend your disbelief at times. Jane also lives in an enormous, luxurious apartment for a small company employee in NYC. No New Yorker would have a closet that big unless they were a multimillionaire!
