Made of Honor (2008)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There are vague spoilers in this diatribe, so don't read it unless you don't want to see it, and heaven knows I hope you don't want to see it.This is one of the most pathetic movies I have ever seen. The reason I watched it was firstly to see if it played out the way I knew it would, and secondly because it was free-to-air and I was sick as a dog and couldn't be bothered moving off the couch.The movie is called 'Made of Honor'. The only clever thing about the abomination is the title, which plays on the traditional 'maid' of honour and a person who is 'made' of honour. The titular Tom (played by the otherwise rather forgettable Patrick Dempsey) is anything but honourable. Indeed, the only main character in this mess who maintains any honour is Colin who is left at the alter.This is supposed to be a romantic comedy. I didn't laugh once. I didn't cry once. The only time I cheered was when Colin punches Tom out in the church.The thing that frustrates me with this movie is that there are people (6.4% of the voting public) who think this is a 10! I honestly cannot understand how anybody can see anything redeeming about this movie. Sure, perhaps not loathe it as much as me, but to count it a 10? Well, the world is made of infinite wonder I suppose.Save your I.Q. points. Go watch something else. Grass growing perhaps.

Made of Honor (2008): Dir: Paul Weiland / Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Sydney Pollack, Kevin McKidd, Kathleen Quinlan: Durable romantic comedy about integrity. Patrick Dempsey plays a bachelor who only dates. Michelle Monaghan plays his best friend who goes to Scotland on business only to return with an engagement ring. This bothers Dempsey who accepts the offer to be her maid of Honor in hopes of possibly breaking off the engagement. Setup establishes their friendship but it becomes predictable with director Paul Weiland using great Scottish scenery. Dempsey and Monaghan have fine chemistry. Dempsey grows to realize that his friendship with Monaghan is worth more than the surface and seeks union. She is blind to his feelings due too a long friendship. We know they will end up together but it works because we believe in the friendship theme. Kevin McKidd plays the Scottish fiancé and thankfully the role isn't the stereotypical competitive boyfriend but rather a normal guy set to be cheated. Sydney Pollack as Dempsey's often married father needed more screen time. This became his final role but far from his best. Kathleen Quinlan also seems above the material having done better in superior films. It isn't broad storytelling but it is great to see marriage and friendship that is honoured and applauded as opposed to be subject to mockery. Score: 6 ½ / 10

I don't think it deserves a low(or middle) rating of 5.5. It's the first movie for a long time which I haven't checked it's rating before watching. It has a semi-predictable ending. I will not talk about technical stuff, because I didn't pay attention to those stuff. But I can say that this movie is amazing. Maybe it's not the best compared to other romance based movies, but it's amazing itself and enjoyable. A minus was that the movie didn't have a "really memorable quote". Storyline is classic but I can say that something makes it enjoyable and fluently time passing. Although it has some unsatisfying content. For example, Colin seemed really cool at first. But something makes him seem stupid after then. And the movie never shows the ending of the fight when Colin hits Tom. It just passes forward to the wedding. Other than those, storyline is pretty awesome.

While some think Made of Honor was too much like all the other romantic comedies about two best friends of the opposite sex, I thought it was endearing, touching, and fun to watch. What makes this movie even more enjoyable is the sexy Patrick Dempsey that plays Tom, a single, wealthy, handsome guy that loves women. His best friend Hannah is played by Michelle Monaghan. She is the adorable girl that has been putting up with Tom and all of his relationship rules since college. She is the one girl that Tom can always depend on, and he is the guy that Hannah hopes will change and open his eyes about her. It does not take long for the viewer to figure out the theme of this film. While the two seem like best friends, it is obvious that their relationship will change by the end of the film. This is the synopsis in most romantic comedies. But in this film you feel the emotions and frustrations of Tom and Hannah. Throughout the movie there is a pattern or motif of how you feel for each character. In one scene you are mad at Tom, and feel sorry for Hannah; but the next scene you might feel sorry for Tom and be mad at Hannah. The main focus in this film is the relationship struggles between two best friends. This movie could be compared to My Best Friend's Wedding, except the ending is much happier for both people. When Hannah has to take a trip to Scotland, Tom finds himself alone and missing Hannah more than he expected. After some soul searching with his buddies, he realizes he is in love with Hannah and is ready to settle down and have a real relationship. But when Hannah returns she has a surprise for Tom. When he shows up with flowers to meet her for dinner, she introduces him to a large strapping man named Colin, played by Kevin McKidd. After Tom collides with a waiter, listens to their romantic story of how they met, and witnesses the sappy look in Hannah's eyes, he is then shocked with the news that they are engaged. Hannah asks Tom to be her Made of Honor. After colliding with another waiter, Tom escapes from the restaurant without really giving Hannah an answer. After Tom recovers from the shock of Hannah's news, his buddies point out that being Hannah's Made of Honor will keep him extremely close to her. They make a plan to steal the bride. What makes this romantic comedy more entertaining than others, is watching men try to tackle a woman's job. Witnessing men making baskets for a bridal shower is great. Through many ups and downs, and a ruined bridal shower thanks to Hannah's bitter cousin, Tom begins to panic because he is running out of time. What's worse is when he gets to Scotland for the wedding, he finds out that Colin is a Duke and his family owns a castle for each season. He starts to feel he cannot compete with the groom. After a day of humiliation from traditional wedding games, Tom finally gets a moment to ask Hannah to go on a walk. Just as he is ready to tell Hannah how he feels, they are interrupted by the other bridesmaids that come to get Hannah for her bachelorette party. The tradition in Scotland is for the bride-to-be to carry around a pot. Men give her money in exchange for a kiss. When Tom finds Hannah in the pub, his peck turns in to a long passionate kiss. The only witness to this kiss was Hannah's mother from across the room.Later that night, Hannah goes to Tom's room to talk about their kiss. Hannah ends up finding her drunk cousin on top of Tom, and thinks Tom is just up to his old ways again. She runs back to her room in tears. Tom tries to run after her to explain he was being seduced and wants nothing to do with her cousin. He begs Hannah to talk to him but she refuses to open her door. Tom tries to confess his love for her through the door, but her stubbornness gets the best of her and she tells him she is marrying Colin in the morning. Tom decides he cannot deal with watching Hannah marry Colin so he leaves the next morning without saying goodbye. As Tom is riding away in the car, he decides he has to stop the wedding and win Hannah back. The only transportation Tom can find to the church is by horse. The camera angles make this scene intense and emotional. While you are laughing at Tom riding the horse, you also feel his anticipation of getting to Hannah. After holding on for dear life through the woods, he flies through the church doors as the horse comes to a screeching halt. Of course this happens just as the priest asks if anyone objects to the marriage. Hannah runs to Tom laying face flat on the church floor. As Tom can barely get to his feet, he tells Hannah that her hair looks terrible but he loves her more than anything. Hannah finally gives in and they share their second kiss. Hannah apologizes to Colin and tells him that he is perfect, but just not perfect for her. Colin knocks Tom out, but the scene quickly changes to Hannah and Tom saying their vows. This was a feel good kind of movie. Don't let the stereotype of romantic comedies deter you from watching this film. This is a good story of two people discovering how much their relationship has truly meant to each of them. The actors in this film are what makes it so believable and touching.