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Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan in "Made of Honor"
MADE OF HONOR

Review: 'Made of Honor' Made For McDreamy

Dempsey's Star Power Hard To Resist

POSTED: 6:57 am CDT May 2, 2008
UPDATED: 7:40 am CDT May 2, 2008

'Made of Honor' (PG-13)Popcorn ratingPopcorn ratingHalf Popcorn Rating (out of four)

There was definitely room in the Hollywood leading man stable for some fresh blood and Patrick Dempsey ("McDreamy" on "Grey's Anatomy") more than fits that bill. While his latest movie, "Made of Honor," may be riddled with cliches with the same plotlines we've seen hundreds of times before, Dempsey's star power more than makes up for it.

The "Grey's Anatomy" ladykiller is carving out a niche for himself on the big screen in roles as a hapless bachelor who stumbles on his dream girl, yet doesn't know it. Defending his leading-man status, which he so heartily gained after wooing princess Amy Adams in "Enchanted," Dempsey once again puts the romance in the romantic comedy "Made of Honor."

Dempsey plays Tom, a suave ladies man who has plenty of dating rules, including never seeing the same woman two nights in a row. The movie opens with a college-aged Tom (although it's very hard to buy that the 42-year-old Dempsey is a 19- year-old frat boy) at Cornell University dressed in a President Bill Clinton mask and on the prowl for a co-ed named Monica on Halloween night. When he slips under the covers in the right room but in the wrong girl's bed, Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) blinds him with triple shots of Calvin Klein perfume.

Without much explanation, the film jets fast forward to present-day New York City, where the crazy mix-up has joined Hannah and Tom at the hip as lifelong friends. They share everything, including stories about dating -- although not each other -- a passion for the best pastries in Manhattan and an uncanny ability to prove the old adage that opposites attract. She's an art restorer and he's a wealthy inventor. He invented the coffee collar (a great reason for Starbuck's to have product placement in the film).

When Hannah leaves for six weeks on a business trip to Scotland, Tom becomes lonely and realizes that maybe he's been missing out on settling down and being with a girl like Hannah. He vows to tell her when she returns. In predictable movie fashion, he turns up with flowers while she turns up with a fiancée.

As the marriage plans go full speed ahead, Hannah asks Tom to be her maid of honor, which leaves plenty of openings for cheap gay jokes throughout the film.

While Tom takes the reigns as the maid of honor despite resistance from a trio of argumentative and know-it-all bridesmaids, the movie becomes more and more like "My Best Friend's Wedding" at every turn. There are some laughs to be had over the gender switching as Tom's macho poker-playing buddies turn into wedding planners right down to foregoing a card game in order to prepare shower gifts.

A trip to Scotland for the wedding turns into a test of will for both Tom and Hannah. He has to take on the mammoth husband-to-be in traditional Highland Games, while she struggles with having to wear a Scottish sash across her designer wedding gown.

An over-the-top conclusion leaves everything in this 105-minute movie tied up neat as a wedding gift from Tiffany's.

Director Paul Wieland, who directed much of Mr. Bean's television antics, shows off his skills with some very funny mishaps and keeps the pace of the film moving. Unfortunately, his leading characters aren't able to pull off any chemistry, and to believe that Tom and Hannah are destined to be together would be like believing that Pam Anderson will finally settle down with the man of her dreams.

"Made of Honor" isn't one of the best wedding movies ever made, but for better or worse, Dempsey's worth watching.


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