I' ve loved Katherine Heigl since I first saw Wish Upon A Star, the teen movie from 1996 where two sisters swap bodies after, funnily enough, wishing upon a star.

And then there is Izzy, who I think is just adorable and one of the best things about Greys Anatomy.

And now, there is 27 Dresses! Now, I don' t often consider myself a "chick-flick" kinda girl, however, there is a considerable amount of evidence that one could point to that says ' yes, you are indeed a big, soppy romantic.'   And having come to this conclusion, I am confessing my love for the rom-com genre.

Except, I' m still pretty picky.

27 Dresses, in case you haven' t heard, is about Heigl' s character, Jane. Jane has been a bridesmaid 27 times and, yes, she has 27 bridesmaid dresses jam packed into her closet. She' s the romantic, idealistic, giving,  selfless type, who would do anything for anyone and can' t seem to say no. Then, oh no, her sister Tess (Malin Akerman) is getting married to George (Ed Burns) the man that she is secretly in love with, who is also Janes boss, and yes, Tess wants Jane to be her bridesmaid and help her plan the wedding.

And then theres Kevin, the somewhat cynical newspaper journalist played by James Marsden who, let' s just say, makes Jane question a few things in her life.

It' s a cute movie. Sure, it may be a little predictable, but it' s fun and fluffy and sweet, like some big wedding cake that doesn' t pretend to be anything other than what it is. It may not have anything new to say when lined up next to a myriad of other, similarly themed romantic comedies, but movies can just be a bit of fun and nice to look at. And, you know, entertaining!!

Marsden and Heigl are good together, both are essentially likeable characters in their own little way (and watch out for, let' s just call it the 'Benny and the Jets' scene!) Marsden has a natural charisma that seems to work well for him in every movie he' s in (including the less likeable characters he has played) and Heigl is downright radiant, so why wouldn' t they pull it off!

I think it' s the cast as a whole that makes it work. Akerman is spot on with the self-obsessed, spoilt, younger sister character. (Who, for some reason reminds me of Cameron Diaz' s character in ' In Her Shoes.' ) And one of my favourite, yet somewhat perennial ' supporting' actors, Judy Greer as Jane' s friend Casey is as scene stealing as ever (even with a relatively short actual screen time.)

So, if you' re out for some rom-com to start your 2008, give it a go and release the soppy romantic inside!

xo-shell