Anyone who knows me will tell you that on the outside I am a pretty good example of femininity and fluffy pink girlishness. But on the inside, well, I have many characteristics which can be attributed to guys. You know, looking out for number one, what’s in it for me and at times just being non-committal. That’s probably why this film appealed to me so much (not to mention Patrick Dempsey is hot). I know, I know, there have been other best friend is getting married and other best friend suddenly realizes he or she is now in love with aforementioned best friend, but give this film a chance and you’ll see it really is worth judging it on its own merits.

If you are from the “Me” generation, as I’ll admit to being, you will get a kick from the opening scene references to President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. And thus we are introduced to our lead characters during a college costume party in 1997. Tom (Patrick Dempsey) dressed as Clinton and having a great time among a bevy of Monica’s, ends up slipping into the dorm room and bed of one such young lady for a little after party liaison only to discover that the girl in the bed is her unsuspecting roommate and not exactly in a romantic mood. Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) is disgusted with Tom’s casualness regarding the opposite sex and his shallowness and yet you get the distinct feeling that a lifelong connection is made. Oh, pay close attention to Tom’s reaction to Hannah’s dilemma with hot cups of coffee (Starbucks fans might get a kick out of it) because it somewhat explains his wealth later on in the film. Jump forward 10 years and we find Tom going about his life with a routine that clearly includes Hannah in a way he has yet to take notice of. They eat together, play food games together and enjoy antiquing together while all the time remaining just friends. You might think, “What a guy!” because he is just so perfect. Then you find that Tom’s life away from Hannah is just so misogynistic and suddenly he’s just another guy. See, he has a constant bevy of attractive model type girls that he sees, all of which must abide to his rules such as, no back to back dates, which I believe protect him from getting to close to anyone (except Hannah of course). When you meet Tom’s Father, played so beautifully by Sydney Pollack, you will somewhat understand why he sees nothing wrong with his revolving door attitude to relationships. If you put these two seemingly different lives together, you get the perfect man’s life, great conversation, common interests, someone who knows your innermost thoughts and wants (including what kind of cake you like) AND great sex with a different gorgeous woman nearly everynight! But as luck would have it this kind of ideal bachelor life cannot go on without a hitch forever. Hannah goes away on a six week business trip to beautiful Scotland and as Tom is finding himself missing her and all that she means in his life and realizing that his heart has gone with her, Hannah is being rescued by a perfect Scotsman named Colin McMurry (Kevin McKidd), and I mean PERFECT! Once this wrench is thrown into the mix, the fun really begins. As the title hints to, when Hannah returns engaged, Tom agrees to be her MOH, Maid of Honor. He seems at first downtrodden to be accepting this sad ending to their perfect pairing until his basketball buddies come up with the idea that accepting will put him closer to Hannah and give him an advantage to, hopefully, mess things up for Colin.

I have to take a moment to mention that I was quite impressed with the special affects used in the beginning of the movie to make Patrick Dempsey look 10 years younger. They did not choose to use a younger look-a-like actor or simply apply heavy duty make-up to accomplish this, no; they appear to have used a process similar to airbrushing for this effect. It looks great, but being a life long Dempsey fan, I must say that part of his appeal; even back in the CAN’T BUY ME LOVE days was the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. If you are a New Yorker at heart or by birth, you will love the street scenes and familiarity of the city in this film and if you are anything like me, you will find yourself exclaiming “I want to go to Scotland” when you witness the sweeping shots of the mountainsides. I must also include within the scenery the view of that “Rock” as I and the lady sitting next to me in the theater exclaimed in unison, Wow! Director Paul Weiland was able to take what some might find to be an overdone story into something fresh and exciting. Hey, I’m a chick, I think I’ve seen a few chick flicks in my life and so I feel qualified to say that this one kept me smiling, laughing and at the final scene when “love conquers all”, crying tears of joy.

Review By Priscilla 
priscilla@smartcine.com

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