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Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan in a scene from "Made of Honor." / Columbia Pictures
Reminiscent of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” the romantic comedy “Made of Honor” is a frothy and convoluted retread that plods along with goofy sight gags and predicable plot points. Despite the appealing screen chemistry between Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan, director Paul Weiland does little to enhance the uninspired script written by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan and Henry Elfont.
Ten years after meeting in college, Tom (Dempsey) and Hannah (Monaghan) remain platonic “best friends.” Tom is a self-centered philanderer with a laundry list of “dating rules” who leads an emotionally vacant and commitment- free life. When Hannah jets off for an extended business trip to Scotland, Tom begins to recognize that he misses her far too much and in fact comes to the realization that he is in love with her. Determined to confess his new-found feelings, he eagerly awaits her return.
Instead of the romantic reunion he had hoped for, Tom is dismayed to find that Hannah now has a Scottish fianc/ Colin (Kevin McKidd) in tow, as she proudly announces her plans to marry. To make matters worse, she asks Tom to be her “maid-of-honor,” and in a desperate ploy to win her affections, he agrees to the task.
Bolstered by his friends and an overly active ego, Tom proceeds to falsely encourage Hannah’s impending nuptials all the while attempting to be a perfect and supportive man in areas he clearly has no prior experience in, but all of that is just a “set-up” for the unsurprising conclusion.
While Dempsey and Monaghan look fabulous and are adept in their comic timing, the film lacks genuine laughs and fails to provide enough character development to sustain the premise. Most of the attempts at humor are presented at the expense of unfortunate one-dimensional minor characters that appear pathetic, instead of funny.
Fans of Dempsey who follow television’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” would be better off saying, “I don’t think so” to this substandard film. Unconvinced perspective viewers will want to get to the box office quickly as this offering is likely headed to DVD before one can say, “I do.”
(1 1/2 stars out of 4.)