Made of Honor Synopsis: Always shy of commitment, Tom lives as a serial dater. Hannah, his best friend, has wanted to marry and now has found Mr. Right — just as Tom realizes he really loves Hannah. When she asks him to be in her bridal party, Tom seizes the opportunity to prevent the nuptials and woo her himself.
After a chance meeting in college, Tom and Hannah become best friends. Their friendship lasts into adulthood, where Tom (Patrick Dempsey) remains the playboy he was in college, and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) remains the woman in his life whom he confides in but doesn’t sleep with.
When Hannah has to travel to Scotland for six weeks, the distance and unreliable communication between the two helps Tom realize that he may have more than friendly feelings for Hannah. He decides to tell her when she returns from Scotland but is blindsided when Hannah returns with a hunky Scottish man who has recently proposed to her.
Convinced that he’s the right man for Hannah, Tom decides to use his role as her new “Maid of Honor” to win her heart.
This is a pretty simple premise for a romantic comedy, and in a way, Made of Honor reminded me of My Best Friend’s Wedding. However, Tom is nowhere near as devious as Jules is, and his feelings for Hannah come to fruition before she introduces him to Colin (Kevin McKidd).
He doesn’t go out of his way to sabotage the wedding but does his best to compete with the hunky Colin in order to show Hannah that he’s the one she should be with. That much is quite clear to Tom and the audience. Frankly, it seems like Hannah knows very little about Colin besides that he’s Scottish and rescued her from being stranded in a storm, thanks to some wayward cows. It’s a whirlwind romance, and there’s nothing wrong with Colin. He’s simply not Tom, which Hannah also seems to realize, even if she’s in denial about it.
Also, this is a mild vent, but it’s Hannah’s bridesmaid Melissa (Busy Phillips) who seems to cause the most problems, given she’s an ex-flame of Tom’s who harbors a grudge over the way things ended, plus she’s bitter that Hannah chose him to be her maid of honor. She goes out of her way to sabotage Tom, regardless of how it affects Hannah’s’ happiness. And, of course, she’s never held accountable for her juvenile behavior.
Dempsey and Monaghan are cute enough as best friends, but honestly, I didn’t feel much heat between them as a couple. Chemistry is important in a romantic comedy, but Dempsey and Monaghan’s chemistry is a platonic one. A lot of the humor also fell flat, and there was nothing overly special or inventive about Made of Honor’s script. But as I was searching for a romantic comedy to watch, I was craving a tried and true formula that would give me exactly what I expected. And if I got distracted and missed a scene or two, then… I wouldn’t have really missed anything at all.
That’s Made of Honor for you. I didn’t hate it or even dislike it. But I didn’t love it either. It was one of those run-of-the-mill rom-coms with two affable leads and a gorgeous setting. If you’re a fan of a friends-to-lovers story or just want something light and fluffy to watch, Made of Honor is definitely an option.
Watched: 01/29/2021
Notable Song: Stop Crying Your Heart Out by Oasis
