Well, Mr. McDreamy is not every woman’s dream in “Made of
Honor.” And neither is the film.
The so-called romantic comedy is neither romantic, nor
humorous. Or should we think of a nasty, egocentric womanizer as romantic? And
consider his plan of seducing his best friend on her wedding day a funny plot?
We have no time to give the movie a chance, as it introduces
us into a repugnant atmosphere from the very start, with a drunken Tom (Patrick
Dempsey), wearing a Bill Clinton mask and lusting for his Monica during a
Halloween college party. This scene is supposed to give us an idea of how Tom
used to lead his life ever since he was a college boy.
The movie then focuses on a 10 years older Tom. Older, but
not necessarily more mature. He is still best friends with Hannah (Michelle
Monaghan), whom he had met back in the college days and who had been the only
one not to fall in his trap. They are both successful careerists, with her
working in an art museum and him being the inventor of the paper-cup sleeve.
Apart from inventing, Tom’s sole preoccupation in life is
dating women who adore him. Never two nights in a row with the same one, is his
main rule.
And one of Hannah’s main occupations is to roll her eyes
while listening to Tom’s stories about his numerous and endless flings. No
matter what her opinion is on Tom’s behavior, she still finds him lovable and
sticks by his side, in an atmosphere that very much reminds viewers of “When
Harry When Met Sally…”
When we find out there’s going to be a wedding, our mind
starts flashing scenes from some Julia Roberts movie, out of unknown reasons.
It seems a rich, powerful and handsome aristocrat (Kevin
McKidd) marrying Hannah is enough to make Tom’s ego pop. He suddenly realizes
his best friend actually is the love of his life and tries to prove to her they
are meant for each other, or rather he is simply unbearably jealous and starts
acting like a spoiled brat who wants to have everything. Take it as you wish.
And the best solution he can find to seduce Hannah is accepting to be her
“maid” of honor at the wedding. Isn’t that the best friend anyone would wish
for?
However, I can only assume this film is not going to look
good either on Dempsey’s, or on Monaghan’s resume. The movie’s key word is: predictability.
Spiced up with a bit of corniness. Ok, it has a few funny moments, but that’s
all.
“Made of Honor” is rated PG-13 for sexual content and strong
language. For those still interested to see it, it opens Friday nationwide.
Directed by Paul Weiland
Written by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont,
based on a story by Mr. Sztykiel
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd,
Kathleen Quinlan, Sydney Pollack.
