27 dresses

The wedding and the romantic comedy were born to be together. From Four Weddings and a Funeral to The Wedding Date, they run the gamut from enjoyably cutesy to painfully bad. Thankfully, 27 Dresses falls among the former.

Penned by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada), Dresses is plenty formulaic, but endearing without being too saccharine. Moreover, McKenna and director Anne Fletcher pace the film perfectly, making the best of every convention of the genre and lampooning the banalities of weddings ("YMCA" and "The Electric Slide" make scene-stealing cameos).

The film follows chronic bridesmaid Jane (Katherine Heigl) who has racked up a closet full of 27 ugly dresses, but can't seem to find her way into a white gown. Jane is effectively the same role Heigl played in Knocked Up-hard-working and trapped by her job-but this time, she is in love with her mountain-climbing, nice-guy boss George (Edward Burns), who gives a performance to rival Dermot Mulroney's dullest.

Jane's vain, fashion model sister, Tess (Malin Akerman), comes to town, however, and makes George her own. Akerman gives a decent performance, but never becomes the wicked bridezilla the audience wants. Ultimately, Tess and George fall in love and become a boring, poorly-matched engaged couple.

Jane is unable to speak against the horrible match, and the audience learns of her crippling flaw: she cannot speak up for herself. Cynical writer Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) comes into Jane's life and helps her try to overcome this fault. Marsden owns his part, perfectly balancing cynicism and leading-man charm.

Much to the audience's surprise, however, Jane learns that Doyle, who writes under a pen name, is the romantic commitments writer she faithfully reads in the Sunday paper. McKenna mockingly tries to bring something new to the genre through Marsden's cynicism, an attempt that yields mix results. Obvious conflict ensues. What will happen to these star-crossed lovers who boast surprisingly good chemistry?

Fear not. McKenna delivers the happily-ever-after everyone wants. With a grand gesture to win over the most callous of hearts, everyone gets their happy ending, and there may or may not be a wedding with hilarious application of the film's title.

Dresses is predictable and sugary sweet. The stars are gorgeous, and the declarations of love unbelievably impossible. But, above all, it is disarmingly cute and enjoyable, the best anyone can hope for in a romantic comedy.