Made Of Honor (2008/Sony Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture:
B/C/C- Sound: B/C+ Extras: C Film: C
Nothing
like making a Julia Roberts film without her, but that is pretty much how to
define Paul Weiland’s highly formulaic Made
Of Honor (2008) in which the comically capable Patrick Dempsey (finally a
star thanks to Grey’s Anatomy) is
the best friend of Hannah (Michele Monaghan) and is ready to possibly make it
more when she gets engaged to some Scottish guy who he suddenly feels pitted
against. It is made worse when Hannah
asks Tom (Dempsey) to be his male maid of honor.
Ha,
ha? Well, this could have been funny,
but it is beyond predictable and only due to its energy and the cast really
giving it a go is this even watchable.
Too bad they did not have a great script, versus the
too-safe-beyond-belief mess they are saddled with, complete with a trip to
Scotland in the best Lifetime network tradition as if the audience are a bunch
of people stuck who never get out of the house.
This film also features some of the last acting work of director Sydney
Pollack, who easily outacts everyone.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was actually shot in real anamorphic
35mm film by Director of Photography Tony-Pierce Roberts, A.S.C, but is flatter
than expected and the anamorphically enhanced DVD option is shockingly much
weaker than expected and the 1.33 X 1 “old-analog-TV” option is especially poor
and embarrassing. What happened here? The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 on the Blu-ray is good
enough for a dialogue based comedy, but don’t expect much more from it and the
Dolby Digital 5.1 on both versions are weak.
Extras include deleted scenes, two featurettes and an audio commentary.
- Nicholas Sheffo
