A Blushing Bride (27 Dresses (DVD))

Member Name: JayHall1991

Product:	27 Dresses (DVD)
Date:	05/06/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, Sweet, Well Written, Good Performances

Disadvantages: Maybe A Little Unrealistic!

Jane loves weddings, infact she loves them so much that she has been a bridesmaid in twenty seven of them! She has the planning and execution down to a perfect art yet has failed to walk down the aisle herself, because she is waiting for her boss George, who is unknowingly the love of her life, to finally realise that she is the one for him. But when her super-model sister whirls into town and sweeps George of his feet Jane is faced with the daunting prospect of having to organise the rushed wedding! But then Jane meets Kevin, a cynical and unromantic journalist with hopes of turning her heart-ache into his ticket to big time editor, and her life takes a turn which she could have never anticipated.......

27 Dresses is the artistic embodiment of why clichéd doesn't have to mean bad; infact, clichéd can be enjoyable and funny and big hearted with great performances and witty dialogue. If clichéd is accompanied by smarts, as it so rarely is in the romantic comedy genre, then the predictability of it all can add to the viewer's enjoyment, cliché creates a sense of safety and comfort and when mixed in with elements such as good plotting they make for a successful romantic movie experience. 27 Dresses is fun, heart warming, silly, serious and, eventually, pretty darn enjoyable. It is held up by a solid screenplay, charming leads, great visuals and an exciting contemporary soundtrack; here all the elements fit together to hold it above others in the genre making for a highly enjoyable night in.

One of the most refreshing things about 27 dresses is the genuinely clever and moving screenplay which sees Aline McKenna create characters who are interesting, funny and realistic. Characters who actually learn things and become different people; they learn to become a little bit braver, or they learn that their happy ending might not be about finding somebody else, or that living for someone else stops you from living your own life, and they all seem to evolve in very plausible and interesting ways. McKenna writes genuinely witty lines of dialogue that help the whole production sparkle and does a great job of making the central relationship involving and sweet. She instils a little bit of acid into the proceedings to stop the film drowning in sugar and writes with a sort of elegance which bolsters it above the slightly ridiculous premise. The script takes the film into some slightly unexpected places and adopts a sort of dog-eared charm which serves it well, McKenna writes with grace and pumps some genuine emotion into the proceedings - making the finale more poignant that it than it should be and making the film very engaging from the outset. There is a fresh mix of comedy and romance (with a dash of drama thrown in for good measure) and the whole thing is appropriately optimistic.

Katherine Heigl proves herself to be an extremely compelling romantic lead here; she's fresh, funny and highly likeable, a sort of edgier Meg Ryan, and holds the film together effortlessly. She is graceful and sexy and portrays a hidden sadness, which is highly engaging, and an enthusiasm and energy which lights up the screen. She has the physical comedy down (with the obligatory pratfalls which show us that her character may be glamorous and beautiful, but hey! She is still an adorable klutz), is effective in the quieter comedic moments which require her to bring a bit of sarcasm to the role and is very convincing in the film's more dramatic moments. However, she seems to excel when playing off the various romantic interactions which Jane has, she turns on the charm offensive frequently and is pretty irresistible throughout. Her character goes through the film's biggest emotional journey and Heigl walks it ably, Jane lives for a fantasy so that she won't have to face the fact that her life isn't the ideal that she wants and must build a new life for herself without the support of an unattainable dream, and Heigl brings poignancy, pain and bravery to the, already well developed role.

James Marsden is one of my favourite modern mainstream actors; he always seems to have fun with whatever role he's playing, and 27 Dresses is no exception. He is warm and funny and manages to to toe the line between confident and smug expertly whilst playing off Heigl with a huge about of humour and fun. Kevin is a surprisingly realistic romantic lead, showing some not-so appealing qualities, and Marden allows them to show without every loosing the essential charm of the character. He is a very successful comedic actor, brings edge to the dialogue, and just seems to be having a ball throughout. Your enjoyment of Malin Akerman's perky performance as Tess will depend entirely on you tolerance level for the equally perky Cameron Diaz, as Akerman seems to be doing her very best impression of the blonde starlet. It is almost crazy how much she looks, acts, sounds and moves like Diaz; which isn't necessarily a bad thing and here serves her well as the bitchy Tess who learns a few things on the rocky road to love. She is funny and pretty but doesn't seem as able to take on the movies romantic sequences as well as her other cast mates.

Anne Fletcher's direction brings a visual style and comedic weight to 27 Dresses; she allows it to be flirty and funny but also seems to give the film a strong enough foundation for dramatic tension to grow on. She really ticks all of the romantic comedy boxes without making the film feel sluggish or laborious and really instils a lot of brightness and energy into every scene. There are some truly funny moments peppered throughout the film and Fletcher manages to time most of them perfectly and she seems to bring spontaneity and a vivacity to the whole thing. One scene featuring the two leads howling along to 'Bennie and the Jets' after a night of drinking and loving is particularly good fun and memorable. One of the defining things about 27 Dresses is the sheer ease of chemistry between the principle players and Fletcher captures moments of intimacy and romance with great precision; making the movies emotional pay-off all the more rewarding. Fletcher's only other directorial attempt was the silly Step Up, although her next project the Sandra Bullock star vehicle The Proposal seems to have cheesy, saccharine promise, but she seems to have the steady hand and expertise of an experienced rom-com helmer. The film looks as glossy and polished as you would expect from a big budget Hollywood romantic comedy, with nice set pieces (including Jane's improbably stunning apartment which she can afford as an assistant to a humanitarian) and bright, breezy visuals.

Overall, 27 Dresses is the story of a woman who has spend her life handing pieces of herself out to other because she was too scared to pursue her dreams and eventually, through the help of friends, revelations and more than a few romantic twists, she learns to add those pieces up and become a whole person again... and in my books you can't say fairer than that!

Summary: A Fun, Intelligent Contemporary Rom-Com