Well, we all knew it had to happen sometime. Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

Director Anne Fletcher has taken the old axiom “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” and brought it to life on screen. Well, sort of. “27 Dresses” has all the classic elements of a romantic comedy: an unlikely pair of youngsters who just happen to keep bumping into each other, the acerbic best friend, the promiscuous sister, the break-out-into-song-together-while-drunk moment, etc., etc. And yet something is missing.

The film doesn’t have the wit of “Annie Hall,” the charm of “When Harry Met Sally,” or even the absurd comedy of “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” It plays like a lesser version of “Runaway Bride,” which was not a very good film in the first place.

Other than the obvious, the premise is this: Jane (Kathrine Heigl) loves weddings. She loves the flowers, the cakes, the invitations and the look on the groom’s face as the bride walks down the aisle. She loves weddings so much that she saves clippings from the wedding section of the New York Journal every week. She loves them to the point that she has been a bridesmaid in no less than 27 weddings.

Jane also happens to be madly in love with her boss, George (Edward Burns), who only notices Jane for her dedication and extreme work ethic. Then, when Jane’s younger sister, Tess (Malin Akerman), returns from a six-month stint abroad, George falls in love with her (the horror!) and the two become quickly engaged. Jane, of course, is stuck planning the wedding, which she claims she is perfectly happy to do. Things get a bit testy, however, when Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), a nosy, cynical writer for the Journal’s wedding section seems to be more interested in Jane’s story than her sister’s.

As Jane and Kevin argue about the life span of love and the country’s high divorce rate, they both begin to figure out important things about each other and themselves.

It’s not that “27 Dresses” is poorly made: it is simply dully made. There is not a single new, inventive moment or idea throughout the entire film. The script, especially, leaves a lot to be desired. Writer Aline Brosh McKenna sort of missed the boat on the “comedy” portion of the Romantic Comedy here.

There are funny instances in the film, but they are the kind that will make you crack a smile rather than laugh out loud. The most clever line in the film is delivered by Heigl, when her character finds out some disappointing news and quips, “I feel like I just found out my favorite love song was written about a sandwich.” Amusing, yes, but this is not the stuff of comedic genius.

The performances make up for the ill-conceived script at times. Heigl and Marsden are both charming, attractive actors who have good chemistry from the start, which is, of course, absolutely necessary for this kind of film to remotely achieve any success. However, their talent is not showcased in this film as it could be. Heigl was much funnier and more likeable in last summer’s “Knocked Up,” and anyone who has seen “Hairspray” knows that Marsden has charisma just oozing from his pores, given the right role. Judy Greer proves herself to be a consistently funny actor as Casey, Jane’s sarcastic best friend, but she is not in the film enough to save it.

Do yourself a favor and make a list of 27 things you can do, other than going to see this movie. Here’s an idea: start with writing a fantastic, hilarious, imaginative script for a new romantic comedy.