27 Dresses: Movie Review

27 Dresses is a very clever perpetual-bridesmaid chick-flick, loaded with drama and humor, tainted by some bad language and behavior that could easily have been left out. Movieguide® regrets having to call for extreme caution because of a few unacceptable elements. However, 27 Dresses is not like Knocked Up and some of the other ultra-vulgar comedies of 2007.

The movie stars Katherine Heigl as Jane, a highly efficient career woman who loves the role of bridesmaid and practically works as a free wedding planner. She has 27 bridesmaid’s dresses, the last two being for weddings held the same evening. She taxies back and forth between the weddings several times, changing dresses in the cab.

At work, Jane is an ideal executive assistant. She knows what her boss George (Edward Burns) wants before he even asks. Sadly, she’s treated like a trusted housekeeper, even though she’s in love with her boss and dreams of him falling in love with her. Her pain is multiplied when her sister Tess, a model, comes to visit and her boss falls for her sister. Jane’s friends encourage her to be more selfish and less of a servant. At one point she jokes, “I’m Jesus.” While this is clearly an improper use of the name of Jesus, the implication, in context, was that she enjoyed serving others, not that she was holy.

While on the wedding circuit, Jane meets Kevin (played by James Marsden, Prince Charming in Enchanted). Kevin is a smooth talking, smooth writing society page writer who covers glamorous weddings. Rejected several times by Jane, he finds a way to push himself into her life. Jane reaches a breaking point when George proposes to her younger sister, and Kevin writes an article for the Sunday paper about the 27-time bridesmaid.

There’s ample humor in 27 Dresses. The script and acting are good enough that viewers will feel Jane’s pain acutely. In a few instances, the humor is vulgar, and one scene features a couple that gets roaring drunk and has sex outside of marriage. Happily, the movie makes it clear that the drinking and sex were wrong behavior and that the behavior was regretted. Regrettably, however, the movie tends to side with the heroine becoming more selfish.

The movie’s flaws are not pervasive. With some judicious modifications, the movie could have been good clean fun for a much larger audience. A good comedy writer can get laughs without resorting to vulgarity and immorality. Hopefully, Hollywood will learn this lesson and make more wholesome and profitable movies.

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