Made of Honor

So just why is it that we are meant to side with this ridiculous American jerk? This is the guy who apparently has the looks and charisma to have a neverending stream of the kind of gorgeous women most of us can only dream of, yet he treats them like dirt. Just what his lifelong pal Hannah is doing wasting her time hanging out with him, heaven only knows, and finally she meets a decent Scottish man, Colin, and they're going to get married. Good on her is what you should think, yet this film steers you around into thinking that the womaniser jerk is the one she should have been with. He may shag around, but hey, he strokes dogs. Off they go to Scotland, but not the real Scotland, but the stereotypical one in which the people speak Scots, toss cabers, live in castles and generally everything is a bit scary and weird. A couple of cheap shots suddenly make us feel that perhaps Colin isn't quite the Mr Right we were led to believe (the cake bit was just plain corny, and though I am no fan of hunting, at least Colin's meat is won naturally and not factory farmed), and along comes our womanising pal to walk straight into their wedding and declare his undying love for Hannah. I mean what is it with these romantic movies and people walking in on other people's weddings and declaring their love for one of the supposedly happy couple. Is that the kind of thing we should be encouraging? Coz I know I wouldn't appreciate it too much if it was my weddding. Yer man had his chance and he blew it, tough s**t, and should never go ruining a supposed friend's wedding with his fit of jealousy. I was so much hoping that Hannah would tell him to p*ss off there and then, but sadly that's not the kind of ending Americans can deal with, and so we get the clichéd happily ever after nonsense. At least Colin managed to get one punch in - he should have killed the guy. It's just so annoying. The guy is a complete and utter pillock, and basically this film is an insult to all of us guys in the world who actually do know how to care about the women we are with, and who don't just bed as many as we can for the sake of... well for the sake of what I'm not really sure. I'm not sure what kind of values this film is trying to portray, but it's got it all wrong. The only thing I can see is that regardless how much of a scumbag you are, if you are American, you are still going to be a better partner for anybody than a Scot. I just found it irritating, sadly the girlfriend thought it was hilarious and immediately made us sit through it all over again.

Made Of Honor is an unfunny, unromantic comedy with Michelle Monaghan and Patrick Dempsey as best friends Hannah and Tom. Right when Tom is about to tell Hannah his true feelings about her, Hannah is getting married to Colin (Kevin McKidd). This all mixes into your regular, formulaic romantic comedy. It misses the mark completely every time. Every time they have a chance for a joke or good romance, they end up screwing it up. Dempsey and Monaghan are both terrible, they're both actors who can be really good actors, but here they seem like they'r either trying too hard or not trying at all. Something about the movie, not just the formulaic jokes or stupid, predictable jokes and plot rubs me the wrong way. It's probably the fact that it's actually extremely mean hearted. The movie ultimately completely dissaspoints. Not only Monagan and Dempsey are terrible, but so is McKidd. A truly bad movie for which I will not wed, a film of such utter disgrace that you think how much did someone actually spend on making this. This is a maddeningly unfunny film, and never, I repeat never see a second of this awful mess.

The cinemas haven't brought out the expected "hot summer films" yet, so I went to this one. Yes, it's a girlie film, but sometimes those can be enjoyable. This one had its bright spots. The female lead, Michelle Monaghan, was terrific. It's not just that she's pretty, but she has a nice solid vibe that makes her appealing, too. A man could imagine that character as someone good to know. Jack Dempsey has his abilities, too--- but his character here was less than attractive. Either the plot was so implausible that it was hard to buy into it and take it seriously, or the Dempsey character himself was written as such a jerk that I had no patience for him, and no sympathy. I was cheering for his romantic rival, the Scotsman! He seemed to be of better character, nicer, more interesting, and NOT a complete jackass. I was disappointed toward the end when the film makers turned the Scottish family, lovely people and much more interesting than the Dempsey character and his family, into a mild sort of "bad guy." It felt oh-so-contrived, and unnecessary. It rang a false note. So, "Made of Honor" swings and misses. Maybe such "wedding" movies and romantic "shaggy dog" stories can never be better than this. But I swear I have seen some that not only worked better, but were actually very entertaining. This one tried, and wasn't awful; but again, I really disliked the male lead, and the film makers obviously wanted us to feel the opposite way. But they failed.

The synopsis of this movie should read: Romantic character gets badly mistreated by two emotionally unstable, immature, egotistical twits and ends up alone as a result. The problem with this movie is that the two twits are the leads, and the only actually romantic character is "the other guy". This really kills its aspirations of being a romantic comedy, since the fundamental premise of this genre is that the viewers root for the leading pair to get together, while all I was thinking as this flick drew to its inevitable conclusion was that "the other guy" was by far the better catch in every imaginable way, far more deserving of love and affection, and infinitely more graceful in handling himself and the situation than the "leading man", and that not seeing that in itself really disqualified the leading woman. As a consequence, this flick may be credited as spawning a new genre --- the romantic tragedy. The whole point of Darcy/Wickham (or Darcy/Cleaver) type of romcom setups is that one of the leads (and ideally the reader/viewer) is initially misguided in their views of the prospective mates, and the story is then about the bumpy road to enlightenment, at the end of which the more worthy mate wins. In Austen terms (apologies to those unfamiliar with them), this story is that after Lydia has been after Wickham for some time and without success, she gets to know and falls for Darcy, and decides to marry him, whereupon Wickham, true to form, concludes that he wants Lydia after all, does his very best to torpedo their impending happiness, and as a result of Lydia's profound airheadedness, succeeds. Darcy is left alone, and the final shot shows Lydia and Wickham bonking. The audience supposedly should feel happy about those two getting together, and in a way it's probably a comfort to think that a guy like Colin should have no difficulty finding a much more worthy woman to make happy. There isn't much to make up for the silly plot and its absurd conclusion, either. The comedy is mostly unsubtle (some slapstick, a few rather crude jokes about a fat girl), the acting is okay but not great (to be fair, there is not much opportunity for greatness in the script) --- even as "guilty pleasure" (a category I would put most romcoms into), there just isn't enough pleasure for the considerable amount of guilt involved in watching this. There are probably many better ways of spending one's time.

A very safe romantic comedy that plays exactly by the rules and wins the general audience over because it manages to have the key ingredient that makes this genre work: chemistry between likable leads. Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) have been best friends since college, where their animosity has comfortably settled to fond affection. They're beautiful, brilliant people, and yet they are clueless that they are right for each other. Until of course, a compelling event sets off the requisite sense of urgency for Tom to finally pursue Hannah. Dempsey is at his leading man best as the charming bad boy who changes for Monaghan, the sensible pretty woman with the non-threatening art job who gets the guy by being understanding and patiently waiting. That, in essence, is the secret formula to chick flick success at the box office. To win over critics, though (but who cares about them in this genre??), the makers need to bring something new to the table, and this, Made of Honor does not do. After all, this is a money-making crowd pleaser and does not pretend to be anything else. It delivers the laughs and is agreeable overall, but don't expect it to bring anything new to the table, not even memorable quotes or a unique soundtrack.

Made of Honor although it is identical to My Best Friend's Wedding except for the ending, believe it or not it is a very enjoyable romantic comedy. It has all the ingredients to entertain and spend a really good time with whoever you want to. It is very funny and romantic without being corny. The story about a man, Tom Bailey who is in love with his best friend Claire. But Tom has a fear of commitment and refuses to admit the obvious When Colin, a rich Scotsman sweeps Claire off her feet and asks for her hand in marriage, Tom must witness her unquestioned happiness up close and personal--because she has chosen him to be her Maid Of Honor. The cast was very well chosen. Patrick Dempsey made a very decent and convincing performance, Michelle Monaghan look very cute in this role and acts very good also. The couple of Dempsey and Monaghan was great, they have really good chemistry between them. One of the best thins of the movie are the locations, between Scotland and New York you see lots of beautiful places. In conclusion, a movie specially made for women but that men can enjoy as well.

I am not the biggest fan of romantic comedies/chick flicks, but there have been some I have genuinely enjoyed. Made of Honour, while I have seen much worse, is not one I enjoyed. It is worth noting for some striking production values and a beguiling soundtrack, other than that it is a miss. My problems with this movie starts with the title, please, that pun of a title is appalling and even thinking about it makes me cringe. And I had exactly the same perception even before seeing the movie. Another major problem is that the characters are not sympathetic or likable in the slightest, the lead character especially is a complete sleaze-ball. Also the characters here are little more than cliché after cliché and bland stereotypes. A lot of plots in romantic comedies are predictable, here is no exception. But this plot is also unrealistic and clichéd, and in terms of the pace and direction the film is a slog. I also disliked the ending, not only was it as predictable as the rest of story but it was also pure fantasy of the highest order. The acting is not very good unfortunately, like I couldn't connect to any of the characters I don't think a vast majority of the actors could connect with them either. There is one good performance and that comes from Sydney Pollack, but Patrick Dempsey while dashing is too earnest for the lead and Michelle Monaghan comes across as rather limited. Hardly surprising, with the dialogue being as terrible as it was. All in all, a daft, predictable and clichéd romantic comedy with a few good points. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Another romantic comedy more. There isn't much to say about this movie, in fact is not boring and the performances of Dempsey and Monaghan meet the required level to make tolerable they as a couple, but the film falls into a number of same places that we watched in other movies thats why Made of honor lost among so many films of the genre and at the end of it nothing new provides. Neither idea is the most original or the jokes the most successful, in fact the plot falls on an abuse of sexual humor that at times results unnecessary and it only is used to start a laughter of a story that had no where to find the funny. In fact the film is the perfect movie to spend a Sunday at home with a popcorn's bag and let the brain rest from the pressures of the week. The film is simple, from start to finish, and that is his greatest success because it doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. It's only entertainment.