Made of Honor (PG-13) ★★

Although Made of Honor is your run-of-the-mill rom-com guys will dread being dragged to, it is slightly elevated by an appealing Michelle Monaghan.

Story

Welcome to My Best Friend's Four Scottish Weddings and No Funeral. Indeed, Made of Honor borrows heavily from both films, which naturally leaves no surprises. Patrick Dempsey plays Tom, a sexy, successful guy who has all the luck with the ladies. His male friends (Kadeem Hardison, Richmond Arquette, Chris Messina) all envy him, but Tom's one constant in his life is his best friend Hannah (Monaghan). He doesn't ever have to worry about wooing her; he can just be himself. But when Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip, Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. So, he decides to come clean and tell her how she feels once she gets back--except she returns engaged to a Scottish duke (Kevin McKidd), who is just about the most perfect guy there is. D'oh! What's a boy to do but break up the girl's wedding and win her for himself?

Acting

There's no doubt Dempsey has become the poster boy for romantic comedies, what with his turn in Enchanted and his McDreamy role on Grey's Anatomy. Problem is, he generally never offers anything more than his handsome face, leaving all the heavy lifting to his leading ladies, i.e. Enchanted's Amy Adams and now, Honor's Monaghan. This lovely actress, who has proven herself to be more than just an ingénue in films such as Gone Baby Gone and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, has a natural effervescence which exudes in just about anything she does. She does everything in her power to drum up chemistry with the bland Dempsey--and we're thankful for her effort. McKidd, best known for playing the kick-ass Roman solider Lucius Vorenus on HBO's Rome, has very little to do as the Scottish stud but effectively comes across as near-perfect. And Sydney Pollack also does a nice turn as Tom's oft-married dad, who gives his foolish son some sage words of advice.

Direction

Made of Honor may be a derivative yawner, but director Paul Weiland (City Slickers II) tries his best to inject some personality into the proceedings. The prelude to the wedding in Scotland is sort of fun. Us lowly Americans are introduced to many interesting Scottish customs like throwing tree trunks in a competition of strength--in kilts, no less. Other than that, there really isn't anything going on of any major note. Honor's only chance to make something of itself is if the ladies head into a different theater while their male companions go see Iron Man.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.