27 Dresses (Blu-ray) (2008)

"The ultimate romantic comedy!  CBS-TV
"...utterly engaging, 27 Dresses will likely be remembered as the film that made Katherine Heigl an A-list star.  Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"...a pleasantly predictable romantic comedy that sees Katherine Heigl following "Knocked Up" with smooth moves at the wheel of her first starring vehicle.  Joe Leydon, Variety
"...[the] sassy script gives the equally charming Heigl and Marsden plenty of Gable-Colbert-esque love/hate sniping to do...Fun and engaging...  Total Film
"...the movie is made pleasant by the likeability of its star, Katherine Heigl, and her chemistry with the affable James Marsden.  USA Today

Editor's Note 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.

	Edward Burns
	James Marsden
	Katherine Heigl
	Malin Akerman
	Aline Brosh McKenna - Writer
	Anne Fletcher - Director
	Becki Cross Trujillo - Executive Producer
	Jeffrey Silver - Producer
	Jonathan Arkin - Art Director
	Peter James - Cinematographer
	Priscilla Nedd-Friendly - Editor
	Randy Edelman - Original Music By
	Shepherd Frankel - Production Designer

USA Today
"[T]he movie is made pleasant by the likeability of its star, Katherine Heigl, and her chemistry with the affable James Marsden." 01/19/2008

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[The] sassy script gives the equally charming Heigl and Marsden plenty of Gable-Colbert-esque love/hate sniping to do....Fun and engaging..." 04/01/2008 p.60

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "For those who love a wacky wedding wheeze the performances are great fun, particularly from the two leads." 04/01/2008 p.51

ReelViews 7 of 10
If there's a romantic comedy cliche missed by choreographer-turned-director Anne Fletcher and her screenwriting cohort, Aline Brosh McKenna (who previously penned the smarter and edgier adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada), during the course of assembling 27 Dresses, I'm not sure what it is. Then again, most viewers who pay money to see this will not be on a quest for originality. As I've stated before, all a picture like this needs to succeed are charming actors who convince us they're in love. Everything else is beside the point...Heigl is the perfect romantic comedy lead - she's attractive, energetic, likeable, and willing to get raunchy if needed. 27 Dresses is more tame than Knocked Up, but she's no less appealing...Part of me enjoyed 27 Dresses in the same way I occasionally like to down a handful of chocolate covered raisins. They're not filling or nourishing but they provide a moment's forgettable pleasure. Heigl's appeal and talent elevate this to a little above the romantic comedy noise and, while it's strictly for self-appointed aficionados of the genre, there will be those who adore what Fletcher and her cast have wrought...So enjoy 27 Dresses' limited charms for what they are rather for when they are on display. This isn't a great movie but it fills a niche. - James Berardinelli

Salon.com 8 of 10
With its wound-tight-heroine/handsome-charmer/wisecracking-reporter love triangle, "27 Dresses" would appear to wish dearly to be a screwball heir to "The Philadelphia Story." There are moments director Anne Fletcher does pack in some fizzy, cheap-champagne charm, particularly when she allows the movie to go darker and tarter about weddings and their gauzy, pearl-encrusted trappings -- the registries for useless domestic swag, the childhood-snapshot-riddled engagement party slide shows, the near-bloodbath bouquet toss...The casting is likewise appealing. Heigl brings a steely strength to her ostensibly mousy character. Even with her hair a little darker to signify that she's the bland sister, we'd never believe the deft, disarmingly pouty actress as a mere dormouse. When Kevin asks Jane if she has needs of her own, she deadpans, "No. I'm Jesus." But Jane has needs up the wazoo. She needs to be the one everybody else needs. One look at her overstuffed Filofax and it's clear she gets off on running the show on everyone else's Very Special Day. Barking orders at cabdrivers, unblinking when negotiating with a baker, and drunk-dancing like a champ, Heigl's Jane is a comic force to reckon with. Yet the movie never lets the character blossom into anything more than a white-lace-fetishizing girl, hoarding clippings from the Commitments page. - Stephanie Zacharek