Made of Honor *

"Made of Honor" is a derivative and pale romantic comedy of the "My Best Friend's Wedding" ilk, except here it's the guy (a dreamily dimpled Patrick Dempsey instead of Julia Roberts), who realizes he loves his best friend just when she gets engaged. The plot is totally predictable, the characters are cardboard, and the laughs are few. There are, however, some stunning scenes of Scotland, where Tom's buddy Hannah (an earnest Michelle Monaghan) met her betrothed (an adequate Kevin McKidd) and goes to get married at his ancestral castle.

Since, as she says, she always expected to be the "best man" at his wedding, Hannah wants Tom to be her "Maid of Honor." The title puns on this role, but it's hard to figure out who in this mess is "made of honor." It's not Tom, who has a life of rules, not one of them honorable. It's not his dad, nicely played by Sydney Pollack, negotiating the pre-nup for his sixth marriage as his bride is en route to the church. It's not Hannah's best friend Melissa (a shrill Busy Philipps), who feels jilted for not being "the MOH" herself, who does her best to sabotage Tom's efforts.

But there is, as I mentioned, some gorgeous Scottish countryside, and some nice flavorings of Scottish games, fashions, and traditions. Director Paul Weiland here fails to make the necessary transition from his previous Mr. Bean oeuvre to the more complicated world of rom-com.

Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. Paul Weiland - Director, Adam Sztykiel - Writer (screenplay) (story), Deborah Kaplan - Writer (screenplay), Harry Elfont - Writer (screenplay), Neal H. Moritz - Producer, Tony Pierce-Roberts - Cinematographer, Rupert Gregson-Williams - Composer, Kalina Ivanov - Production Designer, Richard Marks - Editor. Distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Principal actors: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kathleen Quinlan, and Sydney Pollack.