Patrick Dempsey, left, and Michelle Monaghan in a scene from "Made of Honor" (AP Photo/Sony Pictures, Peter Iovino)

The whole point of a romantic comedy is the comfort of the ritual -- as if you're wrapping yourself in a warm, snuggly blanket of knowledge that the two attractive, charming leads will surely end up with each other. The outcome is never in doubt, despite the various contrived obstacles that pop up along the way.

This is especially true of "Made of Honor," because it's pretty much a remake of a movie you've already seen: 1997's "My Best Friend's Wedding," starring Julia Roberts and rom-com regular Dermot Mulroney. The only difference is a reversal in gender roles.

This time, Patrick Dempsey plays the one who realizes he's in love with his best friend (Michelle Monaghan), and when she announces she's getting married, he vows to undermine the wedding from the inside -- because she's asked him to be her "maid of honor."

Dempsey and Monaghan have a likable screen presence individually and together, which makes the movie vaguely tolerable -- for half a minute. And as Tom, a moneyed Manhattan womanizer, Dempsey does take off his shirt a lot, which is always a plus.

But then the pratfalls and the plotting become painfully cliched, and all you can do is check your watch and wait for the inevitable mad dash to break up the wedding and blurt out some long-overdue I-love-yous.

By Christy Lemire / Associated Press