I tend to have extremely high expectations when it comes to romantic comedies. It's my favorite genre, because when a romantic comedy is truly good, there is nothing more fun and enjoyable to watch. Maybe I should cut the genre a little more slack, but to me, watching a terrible romantic comedy is almost as bad as watching "Citizen Kane" more than once. (I'm a film student, but that doesn't make that film any less boring).
"27 Dresses" is significantly better than romantic comedy train wrecks "Failure to Launch" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (note that both movies star Matthew McConaughey). But it's no "You've Got Mail" or "Love Actually." It has its ups and downs, but overall it's an enjoyable movie that gives you some laughs and ample opportunities to stare at James Marsden's chiseled face. Here are the hits and misses from "27 Dresses," according to me.
Top Five Hits
5. Jane's 27 dresses. It was pretty hilarious to see her try on each one of these, even though I doubt that a person in real life would not have at least one dress that she liked. I've been a bridesmaid five times and I liked a couple of my dresses, but just like Jane, I never did get any of them shortened so that I could wear them again. That just doesn't happen.
4. James Marsden's smile. I'm going to make it my screensaver.
3. James Marsden sings! Sure he's only singing along to some Elton, but if you were a fan of him in "Hairspray" and "Enchanted," then you'll appreciate his vocal endeavor in this movie. Maybe just like John Travolta dances in every movie, Marsden can sing in each of his movies. But, please, I never want to see him dressed as a woman.
2. The bar scene featuring Jane and Kevin escaping from the rain and letting loose. Nowhere in the movie is their chemistry more apparent than in this scene. It's the highlight of the romantic comedy and it only makes us wish the pair would do less soul-searching and just have more fun.
1. Judy Greer as Jane's drunken best friend, Casey. Greer is a scene stealer in every role she plays and is one of the funniest women in Hollywood. Keep an eye out for Casey the morning after a particularly wild weekend. Greer portrays just the right amount of hangover to keep us laughing.
Top Five Misses
5. The misuse of Melora Hardin. We know that Michael Scott's main squeeze, Jan Levinson, is a whole lot of funny (and a whole lot of crazy), so couldn't Hardin have had one or two funny lines to show her stuff?
4. Jane's sister, Tess. I absolutely hated this character. I know she's supposed to be the villain, but she wasn't even one of those "so-evil-I-love-her" characters like Ursula from "The Little Mermaid."
3. Brown hair equals dowdiness. What can we do to make the gorgeous Katherine Heigl look frumpy and undesirable? Give her brown hair!
2. The large majority of the dialogue. It was too cheesy and painful to watching, like "Summer Catch."
1. Too many movie clichés: Weddings on the beach? Of course! Your mother dies when you're young so you learn responsibility at an early age and stop living for yourself? Tragedy is a must!
When life falls apart, design handbags? Just like Monica Lewinsky!
