Flattering '27 Dresses'

Katherine Heigl catches the bouquet -- a role that will propel her to movie stardom

By Chris Kaltenbach | Sun Reporter

January 18, 2008

(B) Predictable but utterly engaging, 27 Dresses will likely be remembered as the film that made Katherine Heigl an A-list star. At the very least, it's the film that places her in the forefront of a long line of actresses who have enjoyed quite the career playing America's Sweetheart.

As Jane, the living embodiment of the old adage "always a bridesmaid, never a bride," Heigl gets to play pure, selfless, smart, funny and - although everything about the film, from the script to the cinematography to the costuming, tries to play it down - beautiful. That she manages to embody all those adjectives while still remaining both accessible and believable is the film's (and her) greatest triumph.

From the time she was a child, Jane has spent her life playing second fiddle to seemingly every bride within a 10-mile radius. A hopeless romantic when it comes to weddings, she fervently believes every greeting-card sentiment written about them. Regardless of who's getting married or what sort of ceremony they're having, Jane is there.

And if that leaves her with no time for a walk down her own aisle, that's OK. Truth is, Jane's spent so many years living the marriage fantasy, she wouldn't know what to do if the real thing ever came along. Which explains why she's in love with her rich, humdrum boss (a slumming Edward Burns), who regards her in the same way an executive cherishes his BlackBerry - essential, but hardly beloved. It's the ultimate safe relationship; she can pine away all she wants, and he never notices.

Enter James Marsden's Kevin, a writer for the New York Journal who specializes in weddings. True cynic that he is, he hates them with a passion. But he writes about them so beautifully and has developed such a following that he'll probably stay on the beat forever. Doomed by his own success, Kevin's long been obsessed with finding the story that will get him away from the wedding announcements and onto the front page. With this perennial and willing bridesmaid, he may have found just that story.

Once it's noted that Kevin and Jane meet at a wedding reception (she gets knocked out going for the bouquet) and that they take an instant dislike to one another, it shouldn't take long for anyone to figure out the rest of the story. Suffice to say that their attitudes are destined to change.

Director Anne Fletcher (Step Up) does little to stretch the romantic-comedy formula and resorts to the old greatest-hits montage (as when a series of quick clips shows the 27 bridesmaid gowns Jane's collected over the years) a few times too often. But she clearly understands its most basic tenet: You live or die by your stars. Marsden, wasted as Cyclops in the X-Men films, is coming off his best year so far, with parts in Hairspray and Enchanted; 27 Dresses continues his streak of properties that appreciate him. His boyish good looks make him credible as a dream date (like I said, in romantic comedies, casting is everything), while his acting chops give his character the gravity he needs for the story's required conflict. True, his work as a reporter has little to do with how things really operate at a newspaper, but few outside the profession will notice.

Of the supporting cast, Burns, who barely even phones in his performance, is too generic as Jane's clueless love object. But Judy Greer is a hoot as the requisite smart-aleck best friend, her dour attitude and pointed jibes - delivered even while wearing a cringe-worthy taffeta bridesmaid dress - constantly bringing Jane back to the real world.

But 27 Dresses is Heigl's show. Last year, she was the secret weapon behind Judd Apatow's comedy hit, Knocked Up. While Apatow and star Seth Rogen soaked up all the accolades, it was Heigl's performance as the world-class beauty with the unexpected pregnancy that made the film possible; she's the one who had to make audiences believe a woman like her could find something worth redeeming in a schlub like Rogen.

Blessed with one of Hollywood's warmest smiles, Heigl makes Jane simultaneously vulnerable and resilient; she takes her knocks but never gives in to despair. When Kevin's thoughtlessness threatens her carefully cultured fantasy world, we want him to feel like a cad. When her fashion-model sister (Malin Akerman) effortlessly steals Burns' character away, your heart aches for poor Jane, even while you desperately want to reassure her that it really is all for the best.

Even in a formulaic movie like this, Heigl's is a performance that commands respect and affection - a combination that audiences have always loved. A cinematic timeline that stretches from Mary Pickford to Carole Lombard, Audrey Hepburn, Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts has found its newest entry.

>>>27 Dresses (20th Century Fox) Starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden. Directed by Anne Fletcher. Rated PG-13. Time 107 minutes.

chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.com