Knight at the Movies: 27 Dresses, Mad Money

Fans of romantic comedies and chick flicks—often one and the same—will be happy to note that two films for the ladies (and gay men), 27 Dresses and Mad Money, are both opening this week just as the long winter blahs begin to set in. Last week’s newest buddy picture—The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman—is nothing more than a chance for the two perennial audience favorites to tour the world in service of a dramedy so familiar it contains not a whit of originality. Nonetheless, in a season heavy with serious awards contenders, a healthy dose of sentimental, emotional sludge like The Bucket List delivers the goods mainly because of its very familiarity—like a comfy pair of slippers. The same can be said of 27 Dresses, the romantic comedy showcasing Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl, who is making a bid for film stardom. However, it cannot be said of Mad Money—with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes—which never finds much laughter, discovers the right tone or utilizes its strong cast.

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Pictured: Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses. Photos by Barry Wetcher

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That might be because 27 Dresses was written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who also penned another chick flick par excellence—The Devil Wears Prada—while Mad Money credits four different writers—all men—for its script. I’m not sure if the feminine perspective helped the former but, surely, it didn’t hurt. In 27 Dresses Heigl plays Jane, a literal incarnation of the familiar phrase “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” who takes her role too seriously. (At one point, we see her even holding up the bride’s dress in the toilet so the bride can pee—now that’s a friend.) Naturally, Jane, who seemingly lives to serve others, dreams of one day walking down the aisle herself, preferably in her late mother’s dress, with her handsome but uninterested boss George (Edward Burns). And Jane’s acerbic co-worker and friend (Judy Greer, funny in the Eve Arden role) is all too happy to point this out. The plot kicks into gear when Jane’s luscious but less-than-honest sister Tess (The Heartbreak Kid’s Malin Ackerman) arrives back in town and immediately catches the boss’ eye, heart and a fast wedding proposal, much to Jane’s silent dismay.

Another plot thread is provided by James Marsden as Kevin (the real Dr. McDreamy—getting his chance at starring status as well) as a romantic cynic who writes the wedding announcements column for a New York Times-like paper that Jane loves so much she keeps a file of her favorites. Kevin, of course, is assigned to write a story about the impending nuptials of Tess and George but his real quarry is Jane, whose over-the-top bridesmaid behavior has come to his attention.

There are very heavy shades of Muriel’s Wedding, The Wedding Planner and many other wedding-themed comedies mined in the script as the mismatched lovers are sorted out. Director Anne Fletcher, who is also an actress and choreographer, connects the dots ably, allowing for the usual number of montages cut to light rock songs (the one in which Jane shows off her different bridesmaid dresses is the comedic highlight of the picture) but doesn’t really solve the picture’s biggest problem: its lack of chemistry. Though Heigl shows deft timing, there’s really no spark between her and the love interest, and it doesn’t help that she appears to tower over the much shorter Marsden (except when the duo are photographed face to face, when it appears someone got out Alan Ladd’s box for him to stand on) and that he is stuck in the stock cynic role until late in the film. The lack of chemistry between all the actors points out the overfamiliarity of McKenna’s well-crafted but by-the-numbers script. It was apparent in Prada, too, if one looked beyond that film’s four strong elements (Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Patricia Field’s clothes).

But it’s the narcissistic message of 27 Dresses that is the most grating. Jane is told over and over again to stop taking care of others and take care of herself, to “look out for Number One and you’ll find love.” It’s the opposite of the selfless, self-serving message of a picture like, say, It’s a Wonderful Life and other classic pictures in which society lauded individuals who gave of themselves. Now we view these selfless, caring people—these “do gooders”—as repressed losers, too weak to take what they want. It sounds harsh to point this out about a piece of ersatz feel-good romance like 27 Dresses, but if the dress fits you gotta wear it.

Mad Money, a caper comedy (along the lines of Who’s Minding the Mint?, How to Beat the High Cost of Living and Fun with Dick and Jane) in which three women steal money from the Federal Reserve to enhance their middle-class lives, has pretty much the same message but relays it through much less pleasing circumstances. Thelma & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri directs (chosen because of the crime element that drives the plot?) in her first feature film since her debut, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (which she also adapted). But Mad Money, with its quartet of writers (minus Khouri), is filled with enough plot holes to make Swiss cheese out of and Khouri doesn’t begin to fill them. Instead, she haphazardly directs a group of A-list actors who each seems to be employing different techniques in the sloppily assembled B-list scenes that veer wildly in tone. Suffice it to say that any movie that makes Diane Keaton unlikable is mad—and certainly isn’t worth spending money on.

Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com. Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site, where there is also ordering information on my new book of collected film reviews, Knight at the Movies 2004-2006.