Urban Thought Collective

MADE OF HONOR (PG-13)

MOVIE BIASES
Looks cheesy but … oh, but nothing. Bring on the fromage!

MAJOR PLAYERS
Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd

LOGLINE
When Tom’s (Dempsey) best friend Hannah (Monaghan) falls in love during a six-week trip to Scotland, returning to New York engaged to whiskey nobleman Colin (McKidd), Tom realizes his true love for Hannah, endeavoring to steal the bride from within the wedding as her maid of honor.

THE DEAL
I think I am too cynical. Yes, this is an obvious rip-off of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” in reverse. Yes, Patrick “McDreamy” Dempsey of “Grey’s Anatomy” fame is making a shameless play to regain his ’80s movie star status. But, yes, I do have a female best friend so I willfully suspended my cynicism for this movie. Until the end.

How was I rewarded? “Made of Honor” is agreeably, yet predictably, scripted with otherwise spottily original dialogue pitting the oft-ridiculed culture clash of guys versus female friendly wedding rituals.

Although the production values are fairly fabulous and the movie a little naughtier than anticipated, credibility and suspension of cynicism/disbelief is strained at every other turn in this exercise in Hollywood creative bankruptcy. Brit director Paul Weiland shoots some gorgeous Scottish landscapes, and has capable enough command of his talented B-List cast. Most notably, Sydney Pollack as Tom’s five (or is it six?) time divorced dad who negotiates the pre-nup to his next wedding ten minutes before the ceremony - via cell phone.

A serviceable Michelle Monaghan fits nicely enough against the dashingly Scottish Kevin McKidd (we miss you, “Journeyman!”) as well as Ol’ Blue Eyes Dempsey himself. Busy Phillips is acerbically hilarious comic relief as a vengeful Tom conquest that’s also part of the wedding party, determined to sabotage his efforts as a MOH.

And what of the good doctor? Playing a rich, under-scheduled entrepreneur who struck it rich with coffee collars but has no discernible “job” otherwise, Dempsey as Tom is ruled by his rules. He’s an emotional infant, can’t/won’t say “I love you” to another human being, and is an unrepentant man-whore of first class, vapidly-charming-with-an-easy-smile variety. Yep - McDreamy is a ho.

Despite perpetual honesty and forthrightness about his shortcomings, Tom is blandly unlikable. You don’t truly root for him and you don’t know why - kind of like tuna fish. Sure, there’s a lot of shirtless, decently ab’d Dempsey for the ladies (although him playing a 31-year-old strains credulity). And, plenty of light examination of the anxiety of unrequited feelings that exist between best friends of the opposite sex. But, the late third act turning point that you KNEW WAS COMING is just so obvious, lame, simplistic, and shockingly uninspired, I would have expected it to come from Tyler Perry. Cynicism powers … ACTIVATE!

Showcasing the most romantic kisses of the summer and an overbearingly manipulative, saccharine sweet score, “Made” revels in its chick flick-ness. There is little honor, however, in poorly churned cheese.

@@ REELS

(TWO REELS)

Extra medium.

Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for The 213 Magazine, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com where his new novel I DO? is available NOW.