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27 Dresses
20th Century Fox


6.2

based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 41 votes
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FILM:

Step Up

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality

Starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Ed Burns, Melora Hardin, and Judy Greer

Jane has always been good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking after herself. Her entire life has been about making people happy – and she has a closet full of 27 bridesmaid dresses to prove it. One memorable evening, Jane manages to shuttle between wedding receptions in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a feat witnessed by Kevin, a newspaper reporter who realizes that a story about this wedding junkie is his ticket off the newspaper’s bridal beat. Jane finds Kevin’s cynicism counter to everything she holds dear – namely weddings, and the two lock horns. Further complicating Jane’s once perfectly-ordered life is the arrival of younger sister Tess. Tess immediately captures the heart of Jane’s boss, George. Tess enlists her always-accommodating sister to plan yet another wedding – Tess and George’s – but Jane’s feelings for him lead to shocking revelations…and maybe the beginning of a new life. (20th Century Fox)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Romance
WRITTEN BY:	Aline Brosh McKenna
DIRECTED BY:	Anne Fletcher
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: April 29, 2008 Theatrical: January 18, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	107 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Predictable but utterly engaging, 27 Dresses will likely be remembered as the film that made Katherine Heigl an A-list star.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Mostly silly and always frothy, as sugary at times as wedding-cake frosting but tempered with a welcome strain of sour grapes, mostly doled out by the peerless Judy Greer as Jane's cynical, slutty best friend.

Variety Joe Leydon

Frothy, funny and formulaic, 27 Dresses is a pleasantly predictable romantic comedy that sees Katherine Heigl following “Knocked Up” with smooth moves at the wheel of her first starring vehicle.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

It delivers everything you expect on a timetable you can predict to the minute. It's filmmaking as a cross between a carefully choreographed dance and an elaborate pageant.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

There's not a surprising moment in the movie yet it works in spite of the stale, insipid storyline. That has a lot to do with lead actress Katherine Heigl and a little to do with the glowing embers between her and her co-star, James Marsden.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

A sporadically entertaining cupcake of a movie.

USA Today Claudia Puig

27 Dresses is like one of the many bridesmaid dresses featured in the film: frothy, predictable and over the top.

Empire Angie Errigo

Cute, cute, cute. No bouquets for originality, but it pushes all the buttons of this mini-genre, and Heigl and Marsden ring dem bells.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The romantic comedy 27 Dresses will work best for people who have never seen a romantic comedy. If you have, you might find it amusing to tally up the steals – I mean, homages.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

27 Dresses is a movie geared to a pitch of high matrimonial-princess fever.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

The jokes hit about half the time – the best bits have an off-the-cuff feel – and it’s pocked with the kind of rom-com clichés that are practically written in stone (screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna's script for "The Devil Wears Prada" was far sharper).

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The eerily precise Heigl, who provided confident back-court support as the exile in Guyville also known as “Knocked Up,” has no trouble filling a leading lady’s shoes. She’s just snarky enough to be interesting, and she knows how to take a fall.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It's a tangle unknotted in the most predictable fashion by Aline McKenna's script, and with little flair from choreographer-turned-director Anne Fletcher.

Premiere Ryan Stewart

A chick-flick on a sugar high, so giggly-bouncy and nostalgic for the fantasy-girlhood of its audience that the DVD, which should follow relatively quickly, should come packaged in big pink bows and include a coupon for a free pony ride.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Katherine Heigl makes an official bid for America's Sweetheart in her sophomore effort, 27 Dresses, a romantic comedy that -- despite her undeniable, apple-cheeked appeal -- sags like a day-old bouquet.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Almost everything about this starring vehicle for Katharine Heigl feels borrowed from some previous romantic comedy.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

No worse and no better than the majority of chick flicks.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

As the director, Anne Fletcher, methodically cuts back and forth between two weddings, she makes the reasonably insightful, moderately funny point that modern American weddings, however they may strain for individuality and specialness, are all pretty much alike. The problem is that much the same could be said about modern American romantic comedies.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

For most of this romantic comedy, fatuous contrivances run neck and neck with what seem to be authentic observations about repressed sibling rivalry; some of the latter are too painful to be funny, and eventually the contrivances win out, but the cast keeps it all watchable.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

27 Dresses dutifully privileges its formulaic plot over its stick-figure characters, slapping a happy ending on a setup that, say, "Happiness" director Todd Solondz could have gone to town on.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

While Heigl is terrific, this uninspired romantic comedy is considerably less so.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Light, formulaic and soft around the middle.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

There are glimpses of the wit McKenna displayed in “Prada,” but these brief gasps of life are quickly suffocated by the inevitable schmaltz.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

So flimsy it gives froth a bad name.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Marsden's natural charisma is totally wasted in an unlikable role, while Burns doesn't even try to hide his boredom.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Much as I gnashed my teeth during 27 Dresses, I genuinely enjoyed the warmth of Heigl's and Marsden's confident ease. While both might be a few minutes past their star-is-born moment, these troupers with more than 30 years of professional work between them have never shone so brightly. It may sound contradictory, but loved them, hated IT.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

The only bright spot is Marsden, a great actor who's always stuck playing the less-desirable romantic rival (see: "The Notebook," "X-Men," "Superman Returns"). He finally gets the fun-guy role for a change and does everything he can to rip it up. He can only do so much.

Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams

The biggest disappointment of 27 Dresses is that it inhabits a Harlequin romance New York City, one remarkably short on homosexuals and divorce.

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

A forgettable, formulaic comedy so predictable that seeing it and skipping it are the exact same thing.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Katherine Heigl carries 27 Dresses when all else fails, which it does with great regularity.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

It gets worse and worse as it goes along and finally ends just as it's becoming unbearable.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.2 (out of 10) based on 41 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mono Ape gave it a0:
Utterly predictable. Cringingly not funny. Uses every cliché known to lazy scriptwriters. I'm sure I came out more stupid than I went in.

Kayleighms gave it a5:
With little imagination (think “The Wedding Planner”), screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and director Anne Fletcher have made an agreeable romantic comedy. What makes “27 Dresses” stand out – or at least palatable – within this crowded genre is a winning performance by Katherine Heigl, who sometimes makes you forget that this sort of thing has been done before.

Rachel F. gave it a6:
The movie was average, neither good nor bad. I enjoyed Katherine Heigl's acting. I predict that she will soon join other actresses such as Reese Witherspoon as America's Sweethearts. Although both Heigl and co-star James Marden were enjoyable, I felt that this movie was too predictable. Everything happened just as one would have suspected. Loved the stars, not so much the plotline.

Stefan D. gave it a10:
This was the perfect date movie for us. Her situation was was but the expressive acting (e.g. stuffing her mouth full of food, his facial expressions) were just what we needed. It was humorous and engaging with plot twists to boot. It also didn't have overflowing sexuality which was refreshing.

Michael M. gave it a4:
Cliche and passable at best. It's everything you would expect (or feared). A giggle or two can be found, but outside of that, hardly worth the price of admission.

Marc S. gave it a2:
The first 10 minutes are funny, the rest of the two hours are just plain boring. I have never walked out of a movie, however, this one came really close. Save 10 bucks and watch another movie. Your date will be falling asleep before the movie ends.

Luis G. gave it a6:
Heigl is for me the closest thing to Julia Roberts since Reese Witherspoon ala sweet home Alabama. Heigl makes an honest impression on you but unlike many other actresses shes not forgettable hope to her blossom with grace... Marsden is lone overdue for a leading role a shame his role was sort of bland.

27 Dresses 20th Century Fox

27 Dresses
20th Century Fox