Knight at the Movies Archives
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Katherine Heigl heads a by the numbers romcom and not even Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah can save the shrill 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, making a bid to secure film stardom after the success of Knocked Up, though it cannot of Mad
Money, with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes, which never finds much laughter, the right tone, or utilizes its strong
cast.
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 at last) 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,
allows 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: it’s lack of chemistry. Though Heigl
shows deft timing there’s really no spark between she and her 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 over familiarity 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 seem 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.
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, making a bid to secure film stardom after the success of Knocked Up, though it cannot of Mad
Money, with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes, which never finds much laughter, the right tone, or utilizes its strong
cast.
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 at last) 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,
allows 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: it’s lack of chemistry. Though Heigl
shows deft timing there’s really no spark between she and her 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 over familiarity 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 seem 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.
Girls Night Out:
27 Dresses-Mad Money
1-16-08 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
27 Dresses-Mad Money
1-16-08 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
