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 rom-com and in a way, it reminded me of My Best Friend’s Wedding. Except Tom is nowhere near as devious as Jules was and his feelings for Hannah came to fruition before she introduced 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, since it’s quite clear to Tom and the viewer. Frankly, Hannah knows very little about Colin other than 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 really nothing wrong with Colin. He’s just not Tom, which Hannah seems to realize as well. Also, 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 to be honest, I didn’t feel a lot of heat between them as a couple. A lot of the humor also fell flat and there was nothing overly special or inventive about the script. But as I was searching for a romantic comedy to watch, I was craving that 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 simply 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.
