"27 Dresses" (2008) - Movie Review

It is good to be a judgmental and condescending bastard once in a while, pardon the language. I am saying it so that I can miss movies like “27 Dresses”. I have read Roger Ebert saying that he does not go to certain movies because there are too many good movies to be reviewed than waste time over films which raise flags. He is right as he is most of the times. “27 Dresses” has the stages of romantic comedy in movies which forever was made in that category. It goes in these stages, (1) sympathy and unknown goodwill (2) denial (3) confrontation (4) outburst and (5) resolve (6) further resolve, as that to match the animals, plants, mosquitoes too. I almost made it sound important and worthwhile. Because with the same formula, there are movies made with good sense. This film is plainly horrible.

Jane (Katherine Heigl, cannot believe she jumped from thumping “Knocked Up” to this routine) is the no “No” person. She is a push over and people walk over her. She loves weddings and her boss George (Edward Burns) and as we need to cry for Jane, he falls for her sister Tess (Malin Akerman) who we need to be made feel does not deserve George. Then she organizes the tragedy of her life, planning the wedding for her sister. There is a cynical journalist Kevin (James Marsden) who by the tradition should use Jane for his story but eventually, Oh! God, I cannot believe I am explaining all this.

It’s a matching game which we know the results. Jane stands up for her silliness of growing up because of the glowing Kevin whose only job is to woo confidently and controlling Jane to the deaths. And I hate that back ground score of orchestra when people dip their eyes and disappear to tell what they “feel”. Is it a take off from text book lessons of acting 101? I also hate the piano tunes when there is an altercation, suddenly the characters shift gears out of no where telling what they want and miracle! Everything is settled.

Jane is made even more miserable and Tess is made even crueler and has to wear dresses to reveal who she is. Why cannot there be a lady be as sexy and foxy and then be sensible too? Cannot it be a great invention in the character development in Hollywood? First of all the formula for romantic comedies have expired and the funny part is director Anne Fletcher rips it off from dozen other bad movies to make hers.

I am pushing myself to the fifth paragraph. That’s an achievement to tell you the truth. And “27 Dresses” is just that bad.