Made of Honour (12)

Patrick Dempsey capitalises on his McDreamy Grey’s Anatomy TV heartthrob status in this rom-com, where he must prove he’s best man material where love is concerned, rather than maid of honour.

In this role-reversal take on My Best Friend’s Wedding, Tom (Dempsey) is a sexy and successful playboy who can have any woman he wants — and frequently does. He dates by rules: no back-to-back dates, no more than two dates a week, no calling someone for 24 hours and — most importantly — no breaking the rules.

Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), his best friend since university, despairs at Tom’s bed-hopping antics. She is also secretly in love with her friend, but knows he will never reciprocate her feelings, as he has never said “I love you” to anyone. She leaves for a six-week business trip to Scotland and falls for Colin McMurray (Kevin McKidd).

During Hannah’s absence, Tom realises he cannot live without his best friend, and that she is worth breaking all the rules for. As he decides to declare his true feelings, she drops the bombshell that she is going to marry Colin in a fortnight. To add to Tom’s woes, Hannah asks him to be her maid of honour.

While working alongside bickering bridesmaids, including Melissa (ER and Dawson’s Creek actress Busy Philipps), viewers are treated to scenes of Dempsey juggling plates, putting together gift baskets and wearing a very short tartan kilt, all in his quest to steal the bride.

Dempsey’s natural charm makes viewers join in the fight for his cause, and make up for an all-round lack of character development. It is also nice to see Sydney Pollack in one of his final roles as Tom’s father.

As with many American films with British links, the assumption that Scottish accents are impossible to understand wears thin very quickly.

However, the wedding preparations in the breathtaking setting of the Isle of Skye almost make up for it.

RATING: Three stars