Jane (Katherine Heigl) is a vivacious New Yorker with a great job, a great apartment and a collection of ugly bridesmaid dresses she'll never wear again. She is so enamoured in other people's love lives that she is guilty of 'wedding-hopping', a feat witnessed by Kevin (James Marsden), a newspaper reporter who realises that a great story on this 'always-a-bridesmaid' is his ticket off the wedding beat. Jane's precise, organised life is disrupted when sexy younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) arrives from Europe and immediately captures the heart of George, Jane's boss (Ed Burns). Accommodating Jane is enlisted to plan yet another wedding but there's a serious complication - Jane is secretly and desperately in love with George!

Jane (Heigl) is idealistic, romantic and completely selfless, a perennial bridesmaid whose own happy ending is nowhere in sight. When younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane's boss (with whom she is secretly in love) Jane begins to re-examine her "always-a-bridesmaid" lifestyle.

Katherine Heigl has basically picked up where Julia Roberts left off in the romantic comedy/wedding movies genre. As far as I'm concerned, she is a good comedy actress who is able to deliver witty lines with great timing and just the right amount of sarcasm. In what is a typical Hollywood rom-com, Heigl manages to make audiences laugh out loud despite the corny dialogue and cheesy storyline. It isn't just a chick flick either - some males in the audience were laughing louder than the chicks (my significant other included!). If the lead actress had been someone else, the movie would end up being trite and unbearably saccharine-sweet. Heigl comes across as a down-to-earth, genuine girl-next-door, which is what makes the movie infinitely more enjoyable than if Jennifer Aniston were cast in the lead role instead.

However, something needs to be said about the storyline in general. It seems so familiar, like parts of the movie were taken from other romantic comedies from times past. Then I remembered "Enchanted". Both movies even feature the same actor - James Marsden! Basically, "27 Dresses" is pretty much the real-world, adult version of "Enchanted" right down to the same plot twists. A lot of what happens in the movie is extremely predictable, but in such a way that our few expectations for the film are all fulfilled nicely to give us that lovely feeling you get from eating junk food: it's tasty and satisfying but without any real substance. Hey, sometimes we crave junk food, don't we?

Highlights of the film include the chemistry between Heigl and Marsden's characters when they're arguing, drunkenly singing Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" on countertops, and falling in love. Of course, the dresses also provide some colourful and fluffy eye candy, even though some are hideous. The rest of the actors were pretty much average, and Ed Burns failed to make me see why his character was such an object of love (lust?) for Heigl. He not only looked paunchy but also has such a high-pitched voice for a man - it's quite irritating.

At the end of the day, "27 Dresses" is bubbly and predictable, but not without its moments of fun and laughter. Even though we can see the happy ending coming from miles away, it's still a happy ending.