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EVER since the queens of romcom, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock, stepped aside to focus on their families, Hollywood has been searching for crown princesses to take over their thrones.

Reese Witherspoon more than does her bit, but she can't handle it alone. So thank goodness for Katherine Heigl, who proved her mettle in Knocked Up, and is now rewarded with a film to carry on her own, 27 Dresses.

What will be instantly noticeable, and rather laughable too, is that the undeniably attractive Heigl has been given a brunette hairdo for this film, instead of her usual glamorous blonde, to indicate that she's a sensible character. And she's even called (plain) Jane.

This "always the bridesmaid" girl is first glimpsed modelling some 1980s fashion nightmares in what we understand is the outing of dress number one. Then, more than a few years later, she's dashing between Brooklyn and Manhattan one evening, trying to attend two weddings simultaneously.

During one of the ceremonies, she attracts the attention of nuptial reporter Kevin (Enchanted's James Marsden), who picks her up from the dance floor in standard chivalric fashion. Intrigued by her dashing around, he smells a good story, finds her Filofax, and realises that she could be his "ticket out of the taffeta ghetto".

Jane's problems get worse, however, when her blonde bombshell younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) comes to stay, and immediately snares the heart of Jane's boss George (Edward Burns), with whom Jane has secretly been in love.

The topic of weddings clearly never gets old for either comedy or romance, but 27 Dresses has, thankfully, a little more ground to explore than just the standard ceremony-related japes.

Jane's mother is dead, and the delicate balances and tensions within any family set-up take up some of the running time. Heigl is able to add a poignant aspect to the plot's happenings, steering Jane well away from being any sort of desperado.

It also helps - but is rather disappointing - that Ackerman's character is completely awful, a manipulative operator who is prepared to lie to a man to get what she wants, something it's clear Jane would never do.

After his "other man" appearances in X-Men, Superman Returns and Enchanted, it's nice to see Mr Marsden getting the girl - something it's very far from a spoiler to reveal, given that it's perfectly obvious from the get-go.

But the inevitability of such films never spoils the basic pleasure that's to be derived from watching the protagonists sort out their attraction. Here, getting together' - as in many similar examples of the genre - involves them getting stuck somewhere with only each other for company, and a drink or five. Oh, and belting out an Elton John number in the local boozer.

Despite some obvious moments, the sparky chemistry and Heigl's lead make this one worth forking out for.

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