[Movies] 27 Dresses

Okay, so with very limited pride I have to admit that the last movie I saw on my flight back to Manila via Taipei was 27 Dresses. Yes, I watched 27 Dresses, is that so wrong? I am a gay man after all, right?

Anyway, I ended up with this piece since (1) it honestly seemed interesting to me, (2) I like Katherine Heigl even though I don't like Grey's Anatomy and (3) deep down inside, we're all a sucker for romantic comedies. Okay, that last item doubly applies when you're (a) gay or (b) campy, both of which apply to me, LOL.

So after managing a few hours of sleep in my uncomfortable economy class seat, I slipped my headset on and watched this little chick flick.

The story behind the movie is pretty simple. Our protagonist Jane (Heigl) has somehow managed to grow up perfectly living the old adage about "always a bridesmaid, never a bride." In fact, she's gone a bit extreme in this sense since she's gone through 27 different weddings as documented by the 27 different bridesmaid dresses she's collected over the years. You'd think by now she'd be getting closer to getting married as well, right?

It's not that she's not without love options - in fact she's madly (yet secretly) in love with her boss George (Edward Burns) and has recently attracted the attention of journalist Kevin (James Marsden). These are more or less the basic plot elements - I don't want to give up too much since that might spoil it for folks still keen on seeing it.

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeFor the most part, I have to admit I enjoyed it. Heigl's character was rather well-written and wasn't too unrealistic. They made sure to explain what drove her life-long wedding obsession and how this affected her overall personality development over the years in order to always be the "perfect bridesmaid". It also helps that Heigl has become a rather respectable actress herself and her performance was pretty good.

The overall plot was a bit shaky, but then again it's a chick flick so it's oriented to a particular audience. Some of the supporting cast could have been better fleshed out and that includes Marsden's role, in my opinion. He just seemed a too inconsistent and not quite as solid as I'd have liked him to be.

The writing was pretty good too and how they chose to craft the scenes and the lines they threw in certainly merit citation and appreciation. Comedy writing is not at all easy and keeping the comedy witty and well-above the slapstick / gross-out level that most comedies occupy these days is a minor feat in itself.

While this movie will not make you want to write an essay analyzing the plight of sad single women being overtaken in the marriage race by their younger siblings, it remains to be a light, smarty and witty romantic comedy that you can certainly sit down to one lazy Saturday night with a loved one or friends. Don't forget the pop corn, of course. You'll need something to do in the slower parts.