Made of Honor – Made of Honor (2008)

Directed by: Paul Weiland | 101 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Busy Philipps, Kelly Carlson, Sydney Pollack, Kathleen Quinlan, Beau Garrett, Sarah Wright, Christine Barger, Kadeem Hardison, Chris Messina, Jaime Ray Newman, Mary Birdsong, Rab Affleck, Kevin Sussman James Sikking, Lilly McDowell, Karen Berg, Clive Russell, Veronica Alicino, Hannah Gordon, Whitney Cummings

‘Made of Honor’ will be nothing new under the sun for fans of the genre. Long before that, Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts starred in just such a movie: My Best Friend’s Wedding. Only then were the roles reversed: best friend stays behind when best friend gets married. In ‘Made of Honour’, the real best friend is a slash womanizer (Patrick Dempsey) who sees his chances with his best friend (Michelle Monaghan) disappear like snow in the sun when she returns betrothed from a trip to Scotland. He promises to be her male maid of honor in order to try to convince her that they are made for each other. But if that works…

What makes the film worth watching – for those hard rom-com fans – are the actors. Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan make a nice bunch of friends and there’s even a bit of chemistry from moment one, which develops as the film progresses. Dempsey seems made for this kind of role since his big comeback in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’; just before ‘Made of Honor’ he already had a leading role as Prince Charming in Disney’s ‘Enchanted’. No wonder that he also manages to win many a woman’s heart in ‘Made of Honour’. Michelle Monaghan (“The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Heartbreak Kid”) also puts her best foot forward. Kevin McKidd as her fiancé Colin is Mr. Perfect, and perfect for his role. His Scottish accent will probably also make many a woman’s heart skip a beat. Also, the supporting roles, especially the bridesmaids and groomsmen, are quite funny in a not entirely clichéd way.

In any case, you can also laugh in ‘Made of Honor’, despite the (almost) drama that takes place. The dialogues, the setting, the clothing; in principle there is nothing to complain about, except that it has all come up at least once in recent years. Hollywood seems to be no longer able to come up with an original concept for a romantic comedy, so it’s just milking old ideas. This is also the case with ‘Made of Honour’; Not a bad film in itself, but so many have already been released that it actually has no added value.