Made Of Honour is a 2008 romantic comedy directed by Paul Weiland and starring Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan. It is the second romantic comedy that Dempsey has appeared in in the last year, the other being Walt Disney's Enchanted. It is also the last ever on-screen appearence of the late Academy Award winning actor Sydney Pollack.
Film Plot and Synopsis
Tom (Dempsey) and Hannah (Monoghan) meet at Cornell University by mistake, ten years on, and they are the best of friends. Tom is a wealthy bachelor, following the successful invention of his coffee collar, and dating a slew of beautiful women. Hannah is crazy about Tom but he is completely oblivious to her affections. Hannah then has to leave to go to Scotland for a business trip, during which time Tom realizes that he is in love with her and decides, upon her return, to tell her how he feels.
However, when Hannah returns from Scotland she brings with her a wealthy Colin (Kevin McKidd) to whom she is engaged. She asks Tom to be her 'maid of honour' and, though he is crushed by her engagement he agrees so he can sabotage the wedding and win Hannah over for himself.
Whilst in Scotland for the wedding Tom tells Hannah that he loves her and they share a passionate kiss at her bachelorette party. That night Hannah goes up to Tom's room to talk about the kiss, but finds him with another woman. They argue, and Tom, a victim of circumstance, leaves for home. On his way home he decides that he cannot abandon this opportunity, and races to the chapel, arriving just in time to stop the wedding and ask Hannah to marry him.
Cast Performances
Patrick Dempsey is in comfortable shoes in the role of Tom, bringing his usual charisma and 007 style charm to the role. He and Monoghan have a fine rapport on-screen and the chemistry between them is very believable.
Kevin McKidd is also in familiar territory as Colin, the Scottish Duke in waiting who, temporarily at least, wins Hannah's heart. None of the actors here are really pushed for range at all, and all of them could probably act the roles in their sleep. Nevertheless, that does not detract from the fact that (some of) the characters are interesting.
However, there are too many underused roles in the film, namely, the late Sydney Pollack in a small role as Tom's father Tom Snr, and Tom's best friend Felix, played by Kadeem Hardison, are among the most under-used of the characters.
Final Verdict
Overall Made of Honour is harmless fun, but many areas are too generic and prosaic to offer the viewer anything of substance. There are some fun bits (mainly taking place in Scotland) with the games, and the bachelorette party. The scenes of Tom and his friends playing basketball are also a highlight, but the film is too fast paced to really build up a decent narrative. The acting, whilst good, does not really require a lot of effort from the actors, and ultimately, despite its feel good factor, and the genuine laughs, the film comes across as a forgettable and formulaic "chick flick", lacking in substance and depth.
