MADE OF HONOR d: Paul Weiland
May 25th, 2008 by Lauren Creamer
Made of Honor (2008)
Direction: Paul Weiland. Screenplay: Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan, and Harry Elfont; from a story by Sztykiel. Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kadeem Hardison, Chris Messina, Kathleen Quinlan, Sydney Pollack
Patrick Dempsey is riding the McDreamy wave as far as he can take it. Fresh out of his role as a modern-day Prince Charming in Disney’s Enchanted, Dempsey continues his romantic endeavors in Made of Honor.
In the film, Dempsey plays Tom, a wealthy womanizer with a strict set of dating rules that keep him emotionally detached from all women except his best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), whom he adores. When Hannah, the only source of stability in his life, goes to Scotland on a work assignment, Tom finally realizes that his feelings for her are stronger than he ever imagined. Tom’s plan to reveal his feelings is silenced when Hannah returns with a handsome Scottish fiancé, Colin (Kevin McKidd), and asks Tom to be her maid of honor. Reluctantly, Tom agrees to take on the role while secretly plotting to steal her heart.
It is unmistakable from the film’s opening that Tom and Hannah have a chemistry that is nearly impossible to find and even more difficult to extinguish. Their relationship is reminiscent of a straight Will and Grace, while the film’s storyline is an obvious take on My Best Friend’s Wedding. During Hannah’s wedding scene, an absent Tom becomes so desperate to steal the bride that he channels Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.
Directed by Paul Weiland, from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan, and Harry Elfont, Made of Honor offers light-hearted entertainment in spite of its unrealistic and predictable plot. For instance, Dempsey, 42, and his band of basketball buddies are meant to be ten years out of college and pushing 30, but not one of them looks a day under 38. Furthermore, Tom happens to be an inventor living in an enormous Manhattan home with a spectacular view and a price tag likely to break the bank. And although Monaghan is believable as a beautiful young woman ready to settle down, her character’s success in planning an elaborate Scottish wedding in just two weeks is unheard of.
In the film’s favor are the breathtaking scenes of Scottish greenery and Colin’s family’s romantic summer home, and the fact that Weiland manages to keep the viewer’s attention on Tom and Hannah’s long process of awakening to their (blatantly obvious) love.
Overall, despite its faults, Made of Honor is a romantic comedy worth seeing.
© Lauren Creamer
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
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