Grey's Anatomy surgical resident Katherine Heigl continues her makeover into fully-fledged leading lady with 27 Dresses, a frothy romantic comedy penned by Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada.

Anne Fletcher's film waltzes down the aisle of predictability as the resourceful heroine seeks to rewrite the assumption that she is always the bridesmaid and never the bride.

Wedding bells peal loud and clear, but not before a great deal of soul-searching, self-sacrifice and a toe-curling best (wo)man speech that threatens to end in physical violence.

Personal assistant Jane (Katherine Heigl) has dedicated her life to caring for others, at the expense of her own happiness.

Secretly in love with her boss, advertising executive George (Edward Burns), Jane invests every waking minute in planning the nuptials of friends and colleagues, donning a different bridesmaid dress for each meticulously planned occasion.

When her model sister Tess (Malin Akerman) sashays into town and bewitches George, Jane faces the possibility of losing the man of her dreams.

To rub salt into the wounds, Tess asks Jane to plan their wedding.

Complicating matters, cynical reporter Kevin (James Marsden), who pens wedding announcements in the New York Journal, starts snooping around with the intention of writing a front-page spread about Jane.

He is stunned that she survives on the happiness of others.

"What about you? You don't have needs?" he wonders.

"No, I'm Jesus," quips Jane.

However, as the big day approaches, the lonely PA finds it increasingly difficult to hold her tongue.

27 Dresses relies heavily on Heigl to carry the film through its numerous flimsier moments and she rises to the occasion, compelling us to fall in love with her heartbroken singleton.

On-screen chemistry with Marsden smoulders, especially in a hysterical karaoke sequence when Jane and Kevin kindle a mutual attraction with an unforgettable, boozy rendition of Elton John's Benny And The Jets.

McKenna sketches Burns's groom-to-be without any discernible foibles and flaws so when Kevin has to mount a challenge for Jane's affections, he can only come across as even more impossibly perfect.

How two charming, handsome and eligible men can still be single in a city where women knock one another unconscious to catch a bride's bouquet is a mystery.

Akerman revisits her slightly manic persona from the remake of The Heartbreak Kid, telling little white lies to George, such as her supposed love of animals, to keep him sweet.

"The only animals you care about are dead ones with sleeves," scolds Jane when she discovers the deception.

Director Fletcher maintains a steady pace and creates some surprisingly touching moments, like when Jane wanders into a restaurant to find George as the staff delivers his wedding proposal.

"Hold it guys, she's not the one," says George quickly.

The look of longing and despair on Heigl's face is heartbreaking.

  • See it at the Odeon and Empire