Made of Honor (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

Romcom is charming but formulaic; some iffy stuff.


parents & educators say
  • 36% say sexual content is an issue
  • 27% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this predictably sweet romantic comedy, which will likely attract teen fans of star Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), is an escapist, lightweight confection. While there aren't too many edges to the story -- no outright nudity, no raunchy sex romps, no bitter diatribes against men (or women) -- there's definitely some iffy stuff. Tom is clearly a player (though he's up front about his commitment issues with women, and they seem to like him anyway), marriage is lightly mocked, and a geeky character is made fun of time and time again. Characters also let loose with innuendoes and a few salty swear words here and there, there's a fair amount of drinking in social situations, and some products are pretty noticeable.

Positive messages: A man sleeps with women but won't commit to them, though he's clear about his priorities with them. He realizes that he's in love with his best friend and makes an effort to win her heart, though it requires breaking her fiancé's heart and some deceit. There's some harsh mocking of a supporting character who appears to be very nerdy. Overall though, the movie has tons of heart.
Positive role models: Tom begins as a womanizing with a (deep-down) heart of gold. His romantic epiphany takes him on an adventure to another country, and helps him to realize the real things that are important in relationships.
Violence: A tearful argument; a punch is thrown at a key moment. Otherwise, just some competition between two men over a woman.
Sex: Some scenes of men and women in bed, but no outright nudity (guys in boxers, for example); sexual innuendoes about positions, etc.; a few deep kisses between two people falling in love; one scene in which men stare at another man in the locker room shower, implying that he's well-endowed; a woman tries on revealing lingerie and shows it off to a man.
Language: Fairly salty, but not too frequent: "s--t," "dick," "a--hole," "bitch," and "p---y."
Consumerism: Signage for various New York City spots, including Figaro Cafe, Dean and DeLuca, Jerry's, and The Met. Mentions of Splenda, McMurray whiskey, Cornell, Lowry Seasoning, and Starbucks. Tom is the inventor of the cardboard cup holder found in many cafes, a fact mentioned and shown many times in the movie.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Lots of drinking in social situations, many close-up shots of whiskey while in Scotland (where locals seem to down glasses of it like water). An inebriated woman throws up at a party.

More on Made of Honor

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about what, if anything, makes this movie different from other romantic comedies?
  • How does this movie define love? Is it a little too perfect? Is that perfection the very reason that romantic comedies are so popular?
  • Families can also discuss why Tom and Hannah never got together in the first place. Why did they just stay friends?
  • Is it a good idea for them to move their relationship to the next level?
  • Why should Hannah trust someone who's never really fallen in love?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) have been best pals since college, when caddish Tom mistakenly jumped into Hannah's bed instead of her roommate's during a raucous party. Hannah scolds him, and in no short order, they're fast friends. A decade later, Tom's still a bed-hopper who follows a stringent set of dating rules that includes no dates to weddings/family gatherings and no "I love you"s. His only commitment is spending Sundays with Hannah. Clearly, they're meant to be -- but Tom doesn't realize that until she goes on a long trip to Scotland. He misses her terribly and resolves to tell her how he feels when she gets back. But when she does, she's got an almost-too-good-to-be-true Scottish fiancé in tow -- and she wants Tom to be her maid of honor. He only has two weeks to convince her that he's really the best man.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Dempsey channels McDreamy as Tom, but he also tackles the role with nuance and bite. He's not the prototypical noncommittal boor here; rules aside, he's actually likeable and endearing, as well as believably overcome by his romantic epiphany. He elevates MADE OF HONOR from standard romcom to something somewhat smarter -- though only just. The nuptial dramas are uninspired; the supporting players are paint-by-numbers. (The lone married guy in Tom's posse who roots for him to join him in marital bliss? Check. The overweight bridesmaid dieting to get into her dress? Check.) And even though Monaghan is charming, refreshingly un-saccharine, and has palpable chemistry with Dempsey, she's still forgettable here. Dempsey's Tom deserves a girl with grit -- one who'd struggle with the idea of making her best guy friend her mate and not be so willing to be swept off her feet.

Still, the laughs come fairly easily, and audiences are bound to gasp at the splendor that is Scotland (the cinematographer is brilliant). In the end, even curmudgeons will find themselves toasting the inevitable happy ending.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Columbia Tristar
Director: Paul Weiland
Cast: Michelle Monaghan, Patrick Dempsey, Sydney Pollack
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 101 minutes
Theatrical release: May 1, 2008
DVD release: September 15, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: sexual content and language.
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This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
 
 

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What parents & educators say

16
Based on 11 parent & educator reviews:
  • 36% say sexual content is an issue
  • 27% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

NYmom
adult
 
Don't let your teen daughter trick you into this one!
As a 35 y/o woman (who happens to really like Patrick Dempsey!) I thought this was a typically funny chick flick. As a mom of a 13 y/o who wanted to see it on her b'day w/friends - NO WAY! Yes the kids may know about sex at early teen years, but why feed it to them? I do not condone premarital sex - especially when there's plenty of it! No, you don't see it (well, sort of) but you know what's going on in his life. Been awhile since seeing it, but I'm sure there were definitive moments. Girls are growing up too fast, and its because we parents/adults are allowing them to. Hollywood won't raise my child. I will.

gypsy63
adult
 
PG-13 Means something else
The sexual overtones of this movie were appauling to me. Great adult film, but when sex toys are introduced in a PG-13 movie, I have to wonder who they are catering to really. I took an 18 year old to see this, and I was embarassed to say the least.

luboo
kid, 13 years old
 
The worst movie possible!
This movie is innaproprate,bad,and strange! I am 10, I had to turn it off! It was so bad.

lostplanet3
teen, 14 years old
 
extremely inappropriate
I didn't like the humor at all. unless you count it was funny. COMPLETELY not for kids. I'd say a good 15+. I only watched this because my mom thinks patrick is a good actor. DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. It has some heavy drinking and in one scene violence and swearing.

PastorT
adult
 
Good date movie
Completely enjoyed the film. We were looking for light-hearted comedy and this film delivered. Yes, Dempsey's character is a complete pig. I gathered that was the point. His character changes and the ending was enjoyable. The supporting cast was fun to watch, also. The scenes shot in Scotland were excellent. Good chemistry all around.

 
Oh MY!
A waste of time and money and what a disappointment. I took my 13 year old daughters and their friends and was tempted to walk out so many times because of the vulgarity and crudity. I wish I would have!

jrn
adult
 
Fine for older teens, but not for tweens.

izzielizzie9
teen, 14 years old
 
great movie!
luvv this movieee!

loulougirl
teen, 15 years old
 
LOVE IT! some bad stuff but it's not like it shows anything. the language is what's in pretty much every movie. the story is so sweet though and at the end it all works out!

 
"Lovable womanizer?"
Tom doesn't seem like a good character to me. It's interesting how a male character is described as a lovable womanizer, and if a female character acted the same way, she would likely be criticized as a tramp...Lots of swearing and sex in this movie. The N word is heard like 10 times in a song. Not my choice of movie.

Vivian_L
teen, 17 years old
 
Hilarious movie for teens~
My whole family saw this a little before it came out in theaters (we had special sneak preview tickets we got in the mail) and I thought it was HILARIOUS. Both my parents didn't think it was funny and they both hated that my 10 year-old sister saw it. So no, it's not appropriate for kids under 13. I recommend it for anyone over 13 who likes kind of dirty humor.

tanuafom
teen, 18 years old
 
I enjoyed watching this!
Tanya Fomenko 31.01.2009 Intensive English Mr. Stoltman Film review Name of film: Maid of Honor; Casting; Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan; Type of film: comedy; Plot summary: Charming Tom is a womanizer who has a different girl every night but at the same time he has an old good friend Hannah. Since they were in university she knows literally everything about his life, girls, and adventures. When Hannah goes to Scotland for a business trip for 6 weeks, Tom understands that he can not live without her (loves her). Coming back, Hannah tells to Tom, that she is engaged with ideal Scottish man, whose name is Colin, and they love each other. At the meeting, future bride proposes Tom to be a Maid of Honor at her wedding, and Tom agrees because he needs to steal Hannah and make her a proposition to marry him. The Maid will try his best to go to his aim! In this movie Dempsey’s character was joggling plates in the shop. The filmmakers spent $500 to teach Patrick how to joggle. While studying, 357 plates were crashed, 7 people got 23 cuts, 1 chair was broken, and 0 people were in the good mood, except Dempsey. You cannot miss this movie because of its humor, modern romantic and nice plot. It can’t get any better! Enjoy!

Hayat
adult
 
Took two fifth graders and should have walked out much sooner !
This was much more explicit than Hairspray or Sydney White, which also were rated PG-13 by Common Sense. After reading the review I expected it to be about that level of "iffy".... Ok for some 11 year olds, but not others. What the review should have included in the "parents should know" section: There are a lot of bedroom scenes and even though there is not a lot of graphic behavior there is a lot more going on than in a movie like Hairspray, and the movie spends a lot of time on this theme. In Hairspray a lot of the innuendo gets caught by adults and missed by tweens...This is much more explicit language and more often. I had a gut feeling to walk out after about ten minutes, but kept thinking it couldn't get worse. It did. We were discussing leaving after the wedding shower entertainment turned out to be a woman with sex toys but before we had a chance the main character was shown in lingerie with a whip and that's when I said, We are outta here" and apologized to both girls that the review had been misleading.

wgb317
adult
 
I left the theater
If you have anyone under the age of 17, know that there are scenes of not only inuendo, but outright inappropriate activity and views of very "Adult" topics for PG-13. If you do not expect to see a bridal shower where adult toys are discussed and shown, other men are commenting on anothers endowment, and you do not want your minor children to be exposed to sexual topics not appropriate to their age, then stay away from this movie.

pielover1088
kid, 12 years old
 
Great movie, not for young kids
The movie is great! It is so funny and one of the best movies I have ever seen! It is innapropiate for kids 12 and under, but for teens and adults it is a great movie!

techsuz
adult
 
Not a love story - too much crude/inappropriate sexual humor
Another example of a movie that is a waste of time and money as well as a movie that appears to be innocent on the outside with a love story setting, but is actually not a love story. It is focused more on crude sexual humor. A real man would not take a lady to this movie. Too bad a lot of movies like this one can't feature an actor that actually is respectful and knows how to treat a woman.

LissaNicky
teen, 15 years old
 
It was an okay movie but very predictable. the main character was supposed "player" and slept around, not a good role model

 
Delightful Chick Flick
I would not recommend this movie for children, but for reasonable and mature women who go to movies to be entertained rather than to develop their value system -- I think it's a winner. Predictable?...yes, but even moreso a good laugh. I am a Christian and although I would not emmulate the choices made by characters in the movie, that didn't keep me from laughing. I enjoyed it and will see it again with a friend who was disappointed to miss it. Lots to chuckle over even after the film ended. A good source for some great conversations.

mistycat115
teen, 14 years old
 
Funny! Not For Kids, Though...
Very funny, but A LOT of sexual content. Some language, and not too much violence. 15+.

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