Parents' Guide to

27 Dresses

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Frothy wedding romcom is fun but filled with profanity.

Movie PG-13 2008 107 minutes
27 Dresses Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Amber E.
Amber E. Parent of 7 and 10-year-old
May 8, 2023
age 12+

Santa Comment! Why?!

Okay so I hadn’t seen this in awhile but I remembered I enjoyed it. I have 2 girls and I’m always trying to find girl movies that are appropriate for us to watch. I researched this movie a little just in case because I couldn’t really remember if there was anything too inappropriate. Mostly I just don’t want sex scenes. My girls are young and pretty innocent so a lot of inappropriate stuff said regarding sex goes right over their head. One thing I do always keep in mind though is movies for older kids and adults sometimes tend to talk about Christmas or make comments regarding Santa and that makes me nervous. It even crossed my mind for this movie but I thought nah, why would it make any reference to that in this movie? Well, about 10-15 min in it does. Jane makes a blantant reference about Santa and my heart sank. I just don’t understand why any movies have to even talk about that juuuuust in case a child happens to be listening. The only thing really inappropriate in this movie is some of the language like bad words or sexual references and there are make out sessions. My girls were probably too young for this, 10 and 7 but I don’t think they really took anything bad from it, they thought it was funny and loved it was about weddings. PG-13 movies are tough to judge. Some end up being pretty appropriate, at least to my standards, but there’s definitely some that I would rather my kids don’t watch yet. Just have to research a little better next time.
goodgirl
goodgirl Adult
January 10, 2017
age 12+

i don't have a problem with it.

I liked it. good movie for teens 12 and up . not bad.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl) is a people pleaser to the core; she'll happily twist herself into a pretzel juggling two weddings in one night and playing second banana to Bridezillas -- which is how she's ended up in more than 20 wedding parties. Enter Kevin "Malcolm" Doyle (James Marsden) -- the journalist who writes Jane's favorite wedding column -- who helps her see how debilitating her selflessness has become. They hate each other at first, but then (no surprise) wind up together. Meanwhile, Jane's millionaire boss (Ed Burns) doesn't realize that she's madly infatuated with him. Instead, he falls for her vampy but vacuous sister, Tess (Malin Akerman).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (50):

How anyone could swap Jane for Tess is a serious mystery -- just one of a number of 27 DRESSES' irritating, albeit small, flaws. On the other hand, there are some rewards -- like Judy Greer, who plays Casey, Jane's saucy, witty best friend. The movie also benefits from director Anne Fletcher's light-and-easy style (thankfully, she doesn't take the subject matter seriously) and, more importantly, the Heigl's effervescence. She and Marsden have great chemistry, making their predictable arc fairly entertaining.

The verdict: Brilliant 27 Dresses isn't, and there's something dated about the idea that a woman isn't happy when she's playing bridesmaid instead of bride. Considering that the movie was written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who also penned the bitingly exquisite The Devil Wears Prada, a bit more inventiveness shouldn't have been out of the question. But anyone who's donned a bridesmaid dress and has a romantic streak will enjoy this conventional confection -- consider it a no-guilt slice of wedding cake.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's message. What's wrong with being a bridesmaid? Is a woman truly not happy if she's never the bride? How does Hollywood contribute to this thinking? Families can also discuss weddings: Have they become, as one character says in the movie, an industry that capitalizes on romantic ideals? What truly makes a wedding special, if it's not the presents, the fancy dresses, and the over-the-top receptions?

Movie Details

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