Susan Granger’s review of “Made of Honor” (Columbia Pictures)
This romantic comedy is the first feel-good date movie of May.
Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) have been platonic best friends since college – when he accidentally stumbled into her bed wearing a Bill Clinton mask, intending to seduce her roommate ‘Monica.’ Back then, he invented the ‘coffee collar,’ the paper sleeve that’s made him a millionaire.
Ten years later and still commitment-phobic, Tom’s into sport sex, seducing a different woman every week, never spending consecutive nights with any of them. But Sundays he always spends with Hannah – until a business trip takes her to Scotland, where she meets a hunky, irresistible nobleman, charming Colin McMurray (Kevin McKidd), who sweeps her off her feet and into one of his four castles. The realization that he’s going to lose Hannah jars Tom into the realization of how truly compatible they are and how much he loves her. Heartbroken, he’s determined to woo Hannah back and stop the wedding before she’s gone forever – even if that means enduring the wrath of her bridesmaids and competing in the Highland Games.
As one of today’s most popular leading men, Patrick Dempsey (“Enchanted”) delivers a cleverly roguish performance, and Michelle Monaghan exudes beauty and grace. Admittedly, Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont’s screenplay is superficial and predictable, albeit from the male perspective, but Paul Weiland’s engaging direction handles the formulaic plot with frothy, improvisational flair. And Weiland’s supporting cast – Kevin McKidd, Sydney Pollack, Kathleen Quinlan – couldn’t be better, nor could his choice of idyllic Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Made of Honor” is an exuberant 8. Boasting three (count ‘em) weddings, it’s a delightful, audience-pleasing, fun-filled fairytale of laughter and love.
