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Made of Honor
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (14th January 2009). |
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The Film
 Perpetual womaniser Tom (played by perpetual McDreamy Patrick Dempsey) has nothing but rules when it comes to his womanising, all of which make him appear like a stupid donkey. He thinks nothing of his best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), whom he met through completely movie circumstances and who very clearly has feelings for him. They've been good friends for almost 10 years but until it's pointed out to him by his friends, he doesn't seem to think about nothing more than a friendship with her. When he wants to tell her how he really feels after she comes back from a trip, surprise of all surprises, she's spoken for, engaged to a dashing scot (in the form of Kevin McKidd). The movie starts off pretty badly, but after that it's all downhill. After the first half-hour, how anybody can feel bad for this guy is beyond me. He is somewhat redeemed by the fact he remembers a few things about her but he shows no intelligence in, say, planning the wedding shower. He tries to prove he's matured and is now responsible, but it's all fake. There's the word 'honor' in the title, but the guy shows none of it throughout the movie. There's no surprise how this movie will end, is there? The plot and events are pretty simple and are supposed to make fun of men, creating a quirky role-reversal or sorts. However, this is all tired territory. The way the wedding shower goes, and the final wedding scene, we’ve all seen this before. The guy Hannah meets is perfect – he's rich, hung, has a good singing voice and can toss a caber like no one else – but we all know who she'll end up with by the time the credits roll around. Patrick Dempsey is charismatic enough, I suppose, but it's the type or bumbling role that anybody can play. This movie was honestly produced because he was more than likely interested in being on the big screen, and the studio had a romantic comedy on hand for anybody who wanted it, somewhat like '27 Dresses'. Fans of 'Grey's Anatomy' wanted more McDreamy and they got what they wanted. (Mental note: stay away from romantic comedies with 'Grey's Anatomy' cast members.) I'm really not sure what the appeal of this movie is for anybody. I suppose it can tell guys to appreciate what they have and tell girls that guys can change, but other than that, it's a bit of a mystery. There's absolutely nothing new here and even hits some of the most tired clichés that should never been hit. It has a few funny lines, but they're certainly not when the two stars are talking to each other. A few funny comedy moments are also there if you look for them. Quite frankly, apart from the star, I fail to see the appeal at all.
Video
2.35:1 widescreen, using the MPEG-4/AVC codec. The picture, like the audio, has really nothing to complain about. The colours are accurate with good contrast. Skin tones are very accurate, and everybody has the right hue, without being too wan or pink. There’s a good amount of detail, while still keeping a good film-like look. There doesn’t seem to be any DNR, as well, giving the picture a very nice, natural feel. The authoring is perfect, showing no dirt, scratches or compression problems. It's a very nice picture.
Audio
There is the choice of an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, a French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Spanish, Portuguese and Thai tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1. The audio is perfectly functional and there's nothing really to complain about. The dialogue is all clear and centered. Nothing ever interferes with it, but then again, nothing is strong enough to interfere with it. The music is quiet but clear. The other sounds are also clear, creating the required atmosphere. Volume levels are good enough, though the range could probably be a bit bigger. However, nobody would ever complain about things like this, as everything is very clear. English, English (HoH), French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Thai, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and Korean subtitles are available. The commentary is also subtitled in Spanish, Portuguese and Korean.
Extras
First is an audio commentary by director Paul Weiland. This is the best extra of the disc, though that's not saying much. To be fair, he does do a good job talking about the movie and explaining everything that needs to be explained. He points out the locations, the changes from the script, talks about the actors, the romance and the comedy. He gives a lot of nice little stories from the set, making this a decent commentary track. Next are a couple of featurettes. Save the Date: The Making of 'Made of Honor' (12:53). This is your typical EPK, and they talk about all the standard things. The project, actors and crew talk about the movie. The locations and shooting in those locations are shown. Three Weddings and a Skyline (6:49) talks about the costumes and locations. They talk about the colours of the kilts and the church where the wedding took place. A couple of small and rather pointless Deleted Scenes are here. 'Locker Room' (0:38) has a couple of lines not found in the movie and 'Highland Games' (2:36) is a longer version of what's in the movie and finishes with a rather unclever joke. Next are a bunch of previews. So many, in fact, that they seem to be longer than the other extras. The previews are: Blu-ray is High-Definition! (2:37), 'Prom Night' (2:17), 'Married Life' (2:04), 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan' (2:32), 'This Christmas' (2:32), '21' (2:33), 'Across the Universe' (2:33), 'The Holiday' (2:32), 'The Jane Austin Book Club' (2:20), 'The Other Boelyn Girl' (2:33), '50 First Dates' (2:31), 'Mona Lisa Smile' (2:32), 'My Best Friend's Wedding' (2:29), 'Made in Manhattan' (2:32) and 'Catch and Release' (2:31). The first two are also start-up trailers. Lastly is a High-Definition Exclusive extra, in the form of BD-Live. I don't have a profile 2.0 player, so I'm not sure what, if anything, is available.
Overall
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