Cinematic formulas are plumbed time and again because they’ve proven Darwin’s conjecture that natural selection weeds out weakness and rewards vigor and stamina. They certainly aren’t the most creative, original or most interesting kids on the block, nor will they ever taste greatness, but the predecessors on which they’ve shaped themselves have endured precisely because they stumbled upon the perfect sequence of notes. Formulas exist, quite simply, because they work.

Case in point: 27 Dresses.

27 Dresses is a predictable but pleasant romantic comedy about Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl), a people pleaser who suffers from compulsive selflessness. Her tireless support, impeccable altruism and inability to just say no make her the perfect assistant to her boss, George (Edward Burns), with whom she’s madly in love, not to mention 27 of her closest friends, each of whom employed her as a bridesmaid in their weddings.

Her predicament catches the eye of Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), a newspaper columnist who covers New York City weddings in glowing detail but who is, in his personal life, an “angry marriage hater” who sees the entire wedding industry as a commercial racket and marriage as “the last legal form of slavery.”

Distracted by a blossoming romance between George and Tess (Malin Akerman), her younger, sexier, self-absorbed sister, Jane is oblivious to the fact that Kevin sees her pitiful story as a way to boost his career, or to the fact that the cynical reporter might just be the love of her life.

Heigl continues to shine as Hollywood’s new “It Girl” in her follow-up to last year’s hilarious Knocked Up. She radiates the sort of physical comedy, self-deprecating humor and luminous charisma that can tackle hilarity and heartache with equal aplomb. It’s great to see Marsden in something other than a comic book superhero movie, and he sinks his pearly whites, on full display here, into his role with admirable relish. It’s also great to see writer/director/actor Edward Burns taking a break from his indies to slum it Tinseltown style.

27 Dresses isn’t interested in pushing any boundaries or breaking new ground. To be sure, it falls victim to many of the genre’s most annoying peccadilloes and takes the usual romcom licenses with reality. But numerous laugh-out-loud moments (many from saucy sidekick co-star, Judy Greer) and sparkling interactions between its leads cover a multitude of sins.

© Copyright 2008 Brandon Fibbs. All rights reserved.