The first scene of 27 Dresses features Knocked Up star Katherine Heigl doing what she does best - being completely charming. We watch the film's heroine, Jane, race back and forth between bridesmaid duties at two very different weddings at the same time. She changes outfits in the taxi that she rents for the night and manages to make both brides feel like she's there only for them. It makes it hard not to like her character, and Heigl herself is consistently funny, beautiful, vibrant, and charismatic in the role. Unfortunately, it's not so much that she loses any of those qualities or her innate likeability over the rest of the film, but you soon realize that 27 Dresses simply doesn't live up to its star potential. Katherine Heigl proved with Knocked Up that she could be a romantic comedy star, and she can't be blamed for hitting a false note in 27 Dresses, but her inescapable problem is that the tunes that have been written for her are beneath an actress of her ability. With a number of other stars in the lead role, 27 Dresses would have been unbearable. It's a testament to Heigl's ability that's only not-so-good.

You can almost hear the moths as they eat away at the screenplay for 27 Dresses. What starts off promising begins to coast as we meet the very predictable male lead, played by James Marsden. The man who played Cyclops tackles the only-in-a-romantic-comedy role of a reporter named Kevin who has been tasked with the wedding beat, but doesn't really believe in marriage because, of course, he's had his heart broken. He stumbles across Jane on that opening night and finds himself in possession of her well-worn daily planner. He realizes that he has a story on his hands about the eternal bridesmaid. Will he use her to get ahead at the paper or fall for this gorgeous gal? Or both?! Meanwhile, Jane has been in love with her boss, George (Edward Burns), for years but has remained his assistant in the office only. When George meets Jane's sister (Malin Akerman), the opposite of Jane in every way, he falls for her and our poor gal has to plan the wedding of the man she loves to another woman. But maybe, just maybe, George isn't the guy for her, and she should pay more attention that cynical reporter that's been following her around. (Astronauts orbiting the planet can see where this is going...)

Writer Aline Brosh McKenna committed one crucial error before cameras even rolled on 27 Dresses - she took her project far too seriously. 27 Dresses is shockingly not very funny. In fact, after that first sequence and another "Isn't Katherine cute?" bit where Jane tries on all 27 dresses she wore to different weddings, 27 Dresses places way too much effort on the drama. Melodramatic speeches about love, usually unrequited, and sisterhood fill almost the entire final half of 27 Dresses. A film like this, that works with so many romantic comedy cliches, could only possibly work if it keeps a smile on your face, and McKenna and director Anne Fletcher completely forgot the comedy half of their genre.

The romance half of 27 Dresses fares a little better, but only because of the good chemistry between Marsden and Heigl. Akerman and Burns are annoying and dull, respectively, and the writing around everything but a few cute moments between our true heroes just isn't engaging or fun. We've all been to a few boring, melodramatic weddings, but there's usually an open bar to dull the pain.