movie: 27 Dresses

[meganbmoore]

 I don't watch romantic comedies very often.  How often?  Well, I'm sure that, between How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and 27 Dresses, I watched one (willingly, not by other people having it on and my not being able to escape) that wasn't a classic or a rewatch, and didn't have magic and/or period costumes, but I couldn't tell you what it was.  Too often, they seem to rely on two people who don't like each other always being stuck with each other and sniping, only to have them randomly declare their love at the end.  That, or raunchy/poor mannered/"funny" guy bring the stiff/wallflower woman out of her shell, and we aren't  meant to notice what a jerk he is.  Plus, they tend to be really big on the idea that humiliating characters and comedy are one and the same.

I'm not really sure why 27 Dresses appealed to me.  In case anyone doesn't know, it's about a woman named Jane who's been a bridesmaid 27 times.  She's incapable of saying no, or really of asserting herself in any way, and always does what people want.  Even to the point of running everything in her boss's life while he doesn't notice she's in love with him, and then standing aside when her sister falls for him.  In completely honesty, while there's nothing wrong with him, the guy is as interesting as dirt.  More interesting is Kevin, a magazine writer who writes articles about weddings, but who doesn't believe in love and marriage.  Jane, who firmly believes in love and marriage, finally finds something to assert herself against.  Things go the way they usually do.

Honestly, I think half my interest was in seeing James Marsden finally get the girl with no chance of her pining after someone else.  Sure, Superman is Superman and Hugh Jackman makes Wolverine about 1000 times more interesting than he is in the comics, but it's kind of hard to watch Superman Returns and the X-Men movies and believe that the women would be pining after them when they could have his characters.  Catherine Heigl is one of those actresses I'm always positive I like, but I can never think of anything I've seen her in.

In all honesty, it's almost impossible to believe that Jane  is single without it being by choice, but it works.  Jane and Kevin are both easily likable, the dialogue is pretty good, and Heigl and Marsden have good chemistry.  I was also very amused by Jane's Closet of Shame, and the fact that the dresses were blatantly an excuse for wardrobe to dress Heigl up in all sorts of outfits.

It's mostly just a normal, if good, romantic comedy, but it does make the romance be the spring that makes Jane step out of her self-assigned role and take charge of her life, and she asserts herself because she's tired of it all, not just because the cute guy told her to.  Because of this, some scenes that would normally result in character humiliation aren't, as they're her finally sticking up for herself, if not always in the best way possible.

I also don't mind that the climax had Jane chasing after Kevin, even though he lief to and betrayed her.  For one thing, he tried to stop the article, and grovelled sufficiently.  And a bit extra.  And she rightly told him to sod off.  More importantly, however, it was Jane finally actively going after something she wanted, and refusing to let it get away.

I admit, part of why I like it is because I went in expecting nothing more than likable fluff with pretty people, and that's what I got.

In conclusion, I feel compelled to mention that Kevin is practically a male version of Kate Hudson's character in 10 Days.  They should bond about their desire to write about important issues and such while stuck writing for trend magazines and departments.

Comments

[foenix.livejournal.com]

I too am not much of a romantic comedy fan, but there are a few I like. I've been tempted to check this one out when I get the chance.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Most romantic comedies make me want to walk awat in previews. This one is pretty decent, though. I'm also curious about Fool's Gold, though mostly for the leads.

[lostopenwindows.livejournal.com]

I liked 27 Dresses too, mostly because I was happy to see James Marsden as the male lead rather than the guy who the girl dumps for the male lead.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I think that part lures us all in...

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Well, James Marsden did get a girl in Enchanted . . . not the one he set out for, but a pretty awesome one nonetheless.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yes, and we were giddy. But it was such a teeny part that it didn't give the same blissful vindication that a movie all about it does.

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

I think I'll Netflix this, because your description of it sounds like something I'd enjoy--and I share your bafflement about why James Marsden always ends up in these roles as a good person why gets dumped by heroine, and would love to see him actually play a part where he gets the girl. He's delicious and funny and very, very good-looking! In fairness, so is Hugh Jackman, but Marsden is cast this way all the time. Bizarre.

(Side note: it didn't exactly endear Enchanted to me that it cast Marsden as yet another decent-attractive-guy-who-gets-dumped-by-the-heroine, but I gotta say he was so entertainingly note-perfect as the fairy-tale prince with an unshakable faith in his own awesomeness that I enjoyed him very much in that movie, probably more than I might have if he'd been the jaded, sarcastic New Yorker who actually got the girl. Almost by default, New York guy has a deeper, more complex characterization, but that's still not all that deep or dramatically satisfying, whereas Marsden can play the intentional simplicity of his character for pure comedy.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, I've never understood the Wolverine/Jean thing in any format. The movies, at least, had a Wolverine where I could understand her having some interest, but not where I could understand why she'd be distracted by him when she had Scott.

Enchanted saved itself for me by having both the ditched parties find someone who was perfect for them. She found the fairy tale she'd always secretly wanted, he found...well, frankly, he found a good woman who was smart enough for two people.

Amusingly, Marsden does play the jaded, sarcastic New Yorker in 27 Dresses, and pretty well. 27 Dresses won't win "best movie ever" awards or anything, but it's very fun.

[morwen_peredhil]

James Marsden finally get the girl

!!!

I may have to Netflix this movie now, even though it's not my sort of thing at all.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah, that's a big appeal for a lot of us who've kept watching movies and baffling over why his guy gets the girl, but she's too busy mooning over the other guy to count.

It's not normally my sort of thing, either, but I liked it.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

27 Dresses! A friend of a friend did the flower arrangement for that movie. (Haven't seen it.)

[rhap-chan.livejournal.com]

I really liked this movie because for some reason I was sure that Jane's best girl friend was in love with her. And I don't even OWN slash goggles.

It's one of the best romantic comedies I've seen in recent years-- as you said, likable fluff. I liked the actress who played Jane-- I've never seen her in anything else.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The female best friends in romantic comedies rarely seem to have any life outside of supporting the lead. That's where that impression comes from. See also: manga, both genders.

(Now, Elizabeth: The Golden Age? Has Elizabeth and Bess nuzzling foreheads while Elizabeth is in the bath.)

IMO, you could tell it was better than most romantic comedies just from the previews.

[rhap-chan.livejournal.com]

The female best friends in romantic comedies rarely seem to have any life outside of supporting the lead. That's where that impression comes from.

That makes incredible sense. Why I never thought about it, I don't know.

Hmm, may have to see Elizabeth though. Something about those dramas set in the past... I mean, I cracked up watching Pride and Prejudice to hear how the sisters ardently loved one another. That's just not a thing for more modern times.

IMO, you could tell it was better than most romantic comedies just from the previews.

Definitely... though I have to say, I pretty much saw it for the cool dresses lol.