I admit the need for a frequent romantic-comedy fix, but Made of Honor left me totally unsatisfied. It’s like a “chick flick” for dummies. Still, the plot sounds promising: after a woman asks her best friend, who’s a man, to be her maid of honor, that friend finally realizes he loves her, then agrees in order to ruin the wedding and steal the bride. Unfortunately -- and unlike the similar yet highly entertaining My Best Friend’s Wedding -- clumsy execution of this romcom sabotages the entire project.

To be fair, leading lady Michelle Monaghan (The Heartbreak Kid) remains fairly unscathed by her appearance here. Rating high on my likeability scale, she’s believable in most of her scenes. Gone is the bridezilla character from so many movies about weddings (most recently, 27 Dresses). Instead, Monaghan plays a down-to-earth person who wants everyone in her wedding party to be happy -- which confused me, for such a woman is a far cry from someone who would ask a man to be her maid of honor and alienate her best female friend. Too bad the chemistry between Monaghan and Patrick Dempsey (Enchanted) seems so forced. Perhaps that’s because their characters’ friendship develops over a ten-year period, but viewers only see the first “meet-not-too-cute” sequence before the movie jumps to their full-blown buddy phase, making it difficult to understand why they enjoy each other’s company so much.

Dempsey, extremely successful as Dr. McDreamy in TV’s Grey’s Anatomy, looks out of his element in the comedy sequences offered by Made of Honor. Reminiscent of Jodie Foster in Nim’s Island, Dempsey’s pratfalls come across as more pathetic than funny. And his scenes with the bridesmaids are more humiliating than amusing. This surprises me because director Paul Weiland achieved comic heights working with the great Rowan Atkinson in hilarious television episodes of Mr. Bean and Blackadder.

Happily, giving Dempsey a run for his money in the romance department is Kevin McKidd (The Last Legion), who plays to the hilt (or should I say kilt?) the unsuspecting groom, a charming and wealthy Scotsman. McKidd continues to impress me with his ability to bring diverse characters to life on the big or small screen. (I hope his fascinating Journeyman TV series gets picked up for another season or two.)      

Am I alone in expecting a romcom to make me smile and feel good? Made of Honor fails in both respects. Although appreciating the film’s emphasis on the importance of friendship, I found it to be a romantic comedy with very little humor -- and even less romance. I hate it when that happens to one of my favorite genres.          

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG-13” for sexual content and language.)