27 Dresses

I suppose I should not admit that I enjoy romantic comedies. After all, they are supposed to be "chick flicks". But let's look at some of the benefits of watching them. First off, there is ALWAYS some magnificent eye candy...Jessica Alba (Good Luck Chuck, 2007), Jennifer Garner (13 Going on 30, 2004), Gwyneth Paltrow (Shallow Hal, 2001), and so forth. Bonus; in all the referenced movies the women in question are scantily clad in multiple scenes. Of course, on the downside sometimes you get blindsided by a Jennifer Lopez (Maid in Manhattan, 2002) or a romantic comedy that neglects the comedy like No Reservations (2007) did. It is hard to believe there can be nothing attractive about a movie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones but they managed it.

Well, despite the occasional dud for the most part romantic comedies have a few laughs, a decent story, and some attractive girls in the legal least so they have something to offer. I had not seen a lot of previews for 27 Dresses (2008) but after a stressful week of "vacation" (link coming soon) we needed some time to ourselves and away from the mini-terrorists so we chose that over the horrendous looking First Sunday (2008), Mad Money (2008), or Cloverfield (2008). On the bright side, after the shockingly bad In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) it would not take much to amuse me and hey...how bad can a movie be when you are allowed to...nay, encouraged to, guided by the camera to look on the lovely Katherine Heigl?

The story has few surprises...it is pretty much a grouping of familiar characters from the cynical, unliked yet attractive soon-to-be boyfriend Kevin (James Marsden), the doting and wonderful father who is still a bit clueless, and the gorgeous, talented, sweet heroine Jane (Katherine Heigl). It also mixes in predictable situations...such as the "oh, we like the same song so we must like each other" scene, the mis-step by the wannabe boyfriend that he needs forgiveness for, the ultimate reconciliation...

In other words, it is about exactly as advertised. There are some pretty good laughs in it, such as when Jane says, "It is like finding out your favorite love song was written about a sandwich" and the scene where she wrecks her sister's engagement party and ends that marriage before the wedding, there are some sexy scenes...I concur with the view that it is hard to find an outfit that looks bad on Heigl...and it entertains from beginning to end. This isn't a movie that will be replayed every Valentine's Day the way A Christmas Story (1983), It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and so forth are every Christmas season...but it is certainly better than most current offerings and quite entertaining.