27 Dresses
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Issue 106 August 2008
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Always the bridesmaid…
The Lowdown: Jane is obsessed with weddings, and is so keen on helping her friends plan their big days that she’s been a bridesmaid 27 times. However she doesn’t have a man of her own, but that may change when a journalist decides to write a story about her.
Review: The romantic comedy is a strange beast. While they’re often so simplistic and contrived that they’re almost an insult to the intellect, few genres are quite so good at affecting people emotionally. It’s certainly the case with 27 Dresses, which is, to put it bluntly, ridiculous. The plot is predictable, the events unbelievable, parts of it don’t make sense and its depiction of a character whose entire life centres around weddings and mooning over her boss (Ed Burns) verges on being sexist. Yet at the end, it’s difficult not to go, ‘Awww, how sweet’. It does this because while it has no interest in logic, it does try to uncover a nugget of emotional truth underneath the frilly dresses and nuptials.
It also helps that it stars Katherine Heigl. While you wonder if she’d have picked this role if she’d known how Knocked Up was going to turn her into a movie star, she’s nevertheless luminous. There are few actresses today who have the mix of beauty, glamour, talent and humanity that Heigl displays in whatever she does. In case you haven’t guessed, I’m a fan. She’s ably supported by James Marsden as the journalist who turns Jane’s world upside down. He’s also recently been showing he has what it takes to be more than just part of an ensemble. The disc includes a few behind-the-scenes featurettes and some deleted scenes, but there’s nothing particularly fascinating. 27 Dresses may not be a movie you’ll treasure forever, but it’s not bad at all if you fancy something soppy.
FILM: 7
EXTRAS: 5
DVD Info:
Certificate: 12
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Ed Burns
Directed By: Anne Fletcher, 2008
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 102 mins
Price: £19.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Deleted Scenes
‘The Wedding Party’ Featurette
‘You’ll Never Wear it Again’ Featurette
‘Jane’s World’ Featurette
‘The Running of the Brides’ Featurette
August 20th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I was expecting this film to be better than it was give the casting of Katherine Heigl. I also find it laughable that they try and play her down as plain Jane (funny given her name in the film is Jane), this really kind of underimines the whole plot. Heigl and James Marsden are quite good in their roles, but the remaining supporting actors are really poor in my opinion. The plot is also stupidly predictable and as a whole the film is far too soppy and twee for my liking. I would give a 5 out of 10 as a rating.