Le témoin amoureux

Here is lighthearted entertainment for an enjoyable evening at the movies. Columbia Pictures tries to reignite the romantic comedy genre with this frothy piece. Made of Honor is nice picture to watch but somehow the whole exercise seems forced and one can only think of what could of been if the script was just a bit stronger...and the direction too. The movie takes way too long to get moving and doesn't know where to end....the final scene is tacked on.

It's hard not to give away plot points since this film seems glued together from bits and pieces of 1960's comedies as well as things you've watching on the Lifetime Network. Still it is fun. And Made of Honor is a lot more enjoyable than Baby Mama which is just a long...very long...skit from Saturday Night Live.

Patrick Dempsey looks good on the big screen but seems a bit lifeless. Do we really need scenes where characters discuss how pretty Dempsey is? He also looks a bit long in the tooth for the age he is supposed to be playing. But looks real good in a mini-kilt. On the other hand, Michelle Monaghan is enchanting and lights up the screen every time she appears. The audience falls in love with her. Other characters come and go as the plot line dictates. The three bride maids seem like a missed opportunity for comedy. The mother of the bride suddenly pops in...and out just as fast.

Made of Honor tries too hard to be something that is not in its DNA: an adult comedy. Attn Columbia: there is nothing wrong with making a nice movie. Why junk it up? Several bits are quite vulgar and add nothing to the plot. An example: Grandma Pearl wearing a necklace of thunder beads and several tacky references to Dempsey's character being gay.

In many places the cinematography is incredible - especially shots of the Scotish countryside. Almost too good for this film, it gives the film the look of a fairy tale come true. A big negative is the pop rock soundtrack that is overbearing and I would imagine exists only to have a soundtrack album.

Out of the gate Made of Honor is pretty standard, with it's cliché characters and dialog. We have Patrick Dempsey's character, a womanizing playboy type who's best friend is Michelle Monaghan, a lovable and pretty friend who "accepts" Dempsey's character. Michelle Monaghan's character is out of town for a few weeks, and during this time Dempsey's character has a personal reflection period, in which he realizes he cares for Monaghan's character more than he thought, he wants to be with her. So she's back in town and they meet for dinner. Here's the kicker, it's so she can introduce Dempsey's character to her fiancé. When it comes down to it, she asks him to be her made of honor.

Now the plot is not really new, just a gender reversal of "My Best Friend's Wedding" but it's charming. The chemistry between the film's two leads is great and is the saving grace, as you really do see why Dempsey's character is fighting for. Not much else about the movie is that new, the direction is on par with the given genre, the acting is on par with the genre, and most of the jokes are that of the genre. That being said the movie isn't bad, but you certainly aren't going to walk away with the feeling you'd get from classics like "When Harry met Sally".

Not bad but, a charming On Par addition to the Romantic Comedy genre.

a modest 5 out of 10

Made of Honor spells chick flick all over it, the perennial formulaic romantic comedy that tells its entire story in the trailer, but that's not going to stop couples from hitting the cinemas for their date movie flick, does it? What I thought was peculiar was that the original US rating for this was R, meaning a lot more sexual material thrown in, versus the now released PG-13 version which was re-edited, and over here, the rating of PG that allows for everyone to make a beeline if they want to escape from the week's blockbuster.

The plot's nothing new as well, with movies like My Best Friend's Wedding, and even from as far back as Three Men and a Little Lady where the best friend tries his/her very best to convince the bride/groom that their choice for eternal companionship, is of the wrong one, and of course, to make away with their respective selves to live happily ever after. And if you think the premise is a ludicrous one, where a man will take up the duties of a maid of honor, then Singapore perhaps just legitimized it with a wedding in a cinema last Tuesday, where indeed a male did grace the occasion of his best friend's wedding as her MOH.

For a man who doesn't seem to have a job and have a huge trust fund behind him, Patrick Dempsey shed his uptight role as a dad from his debut big screen outing with Enchanted, for a playboy called Tom who lives by certain rules in his dating game, and amongst them, no back to back sex with the same girl, no dates with the same girl unless it's a week apart, and never to call someone new in the next 24 hours, never bring them to weddings and family events, and the likes. Women find him irresistible (either for his looks or for that bank account), and he spares no time in getting to know them inside out. The ideal bachelor lifestyle I'd bet, with a constant flow of money, women, and good pals to shoot hoops with, none of them seemingly poor enough to hold down regular jobs.

However, he has his best friend and confidante in Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) with whom he spends his weekends with, and just when he discovers that he truly loves the girl, she drops the bombshell that she's going to marry a Scot whom she met during her business trip, and talking about whirlwind romances, will be getting married in 14 days. So the clock starts to tick in order for Tom to prove himself to be better than the groom-to-be Colin McMurray (Kevin McKidd), which is an uphill task as riches-for-riches they could be on par, but you just can't inject blue blood into you. While at the same time juggle his role as the maid of honor and going through the many girlie things that they're supposed to do for the bride.

While it is a formulaic story, what works, and so long as it does, this type of movies will forever be made, is the chemistry between the leads. You just can't deny that both Dempsey and Monaghan look good together on screen as a couple, and you can't help but find yourself rooting for them past their characters' stupidity to realize that they're made for each other, after 10 years of being together, with little clues left unanswered with questions such as "why do you like him" going unanswered. If only of course it were that easy in real life, that a romance can be wrapped up with Eureka-like moments of enlightenment within two hours.

Of course I must admit though with formula, it doesn't require anything cerebral from you as you sit through and (try to) enjoy the story in fantasy land. The eclectic soundtrack helped as well, with contemporary tunes taking centerstage and played at the right moments, from Smash Mouth's opening, to Oasis' Stop Crying Your Heart Out, when last I heard of it in a movie was in The Butterfly Effect. Supporting characters like Kathleen Quinlan and Sydney Pollack goes wasted of course.

I don't get all the bashing this movie got in 2008. I actually enjoyed it. It's a classic chick flick, so everybody who's expecting a "unique" plot or a different storyline, why would you watch a romcom for that? Yes, some scenes were unnecessary, but who called the movie perfect? Anyway, I wanted an adorable movie, where I know the couple will end up together, but it's got pretty visuals, a convincing story that makes me believe in love, and lead characters with good chemistry. Made of Honor, was all of that. Young McDreamy (Grey's Anatomy ref) is absolutely charming and will make you want to side with him. Michelle Monaghan plays the poise and simplicity of her character in an extremely natural way. The movie isn't sappy but rather fun, relaxing, and enjoyable. Lord knows I needed that. And it was nice watching a chick flick from a guy's point of view.

After a really long while did I find a 2000's rom coms that aren't as popular but is deserving of more acclaim.

Sometimes I'm literally amazed at the load of horse dung that comes out of Hollywood. This movie is no exception. This was clearly a formula movie, something produced to generate revenue and nothing else. I'm guessing someone in Hollywood was sitting around, trying to come up with new angles on old spins, and they blurted out, "Let's make a man the Made of Honor." Then they wrote a dry, bland, done a thousand times before script. The sad thing is, people actually pay to go see this stuff. Don't waste your time.

The acting is ho hum. The storyline is a mirror of so many other stories. And the overall intelligence of the characters and their life path decisions is insulting. And the ending…well, it's pure fantasy. Something only school girls' dream of. Which is probably the target audience for this movie.

When I watch movies like this, and yes, unfortunately, sometimes I do, it makes me wish they would have just donated the money to the homeless or the starving. It would have been money better spent. If you're going to watch this movie, get ready to do some serious snoozing. And maybe some "dejavuing" too. I give it a D. And that was being nice.