Complete A-Z list


27 Dresses

6/10

Stars: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward Burns, Judy Greer, Melora Hardin, Brian Kerwin

Director: Anne Fletcher

Diabetics should be warned about a serious overdose of sugar before seeing this fluffy romcom which at times is like munching a stick of candy floss.

Katherine Heigl is Jane, a PA who's been a bridesmaid 27 times since childhood, and is now probably the same age as some of the organdie dresses in her closet, with her own happy ending nowhere in sight. She's in love with her soft-spoken boss George (Burns), but then her flibbertigibbet sister Tess (Akerman) comes to stay and George falls heavily at first sight. Wedding bells beckon when Tess lies herself blue in the face to make herself George's ideal girl.

Meanwhile, opportunistic wedding reporter Kevin (Marsden) realises that Jane's bridal addiction - she dashes literally from one wedding to another (and back) - could provide the kind of story that might get him promoted. And you can write the rest for yourselves.

Performances are fair enough, although both Heigl and Marsden here lack that little bit of extra star quality that could have persuaded us to swallow the sugar-saturated dose of wish-fulfilment whole.

David Quinlan

USA 2008. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour by deluxe.
110 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 22 Mar 2008