"THE PROPOSAL": PREDICTABLE BUT WORTH WATCHING
Written: Jun 20 '09
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Bullock, Reynolds, Betty White, a funny script and beautiful scenery
Cons: Predictable
The Bottom Line: A good, if not great, romantic comedy, the film does have some excellent moments
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| mike.holmes's Full Review: The Proposal |
I really didn't expect much when I went to see "The Proposal". I'd read a luke-warm review and the trailer didn't overwhelm me. However, after seeing one of the worst movies of the decade the day before ("Year One"), I needed a few laughs. Surprisingly, "The Proposal" delivered those laughs and a decent story.
THE PLOT
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock-"Speed", "Miss Congeniality") is the resident "evil witch" for the book-publishing company she works for. Her entrance into the office is very similar to Miranda Priestly's in "The Devil Wears Prada." Employees warn each other of her impending entrance and scurry around to look busy. Margaret's "secretary" or assistant is Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds-"Definitely, Maybe") who jumps at his boss's every whim.
Margaret is a dynamite editor for her company but she has one major problem: she's about to be deported from the USA. She's a Canadian who has violated international travel laws. Before she can be deported, however, an idea quickly comes to Margaret: she claims to her boss that she and Andrew are engaged to be married. This is news to Andrew but he agrees to go along with the plan in exchange for a promotion.
An overly nettlesome immigration official, Mr. Gilbertson (Denis O'Hare-"Milk") vows to prove that the marriage is a sham and the couple have to travel to Andrew's home to meet his family. Andrew's home is in Alaska. The bulk of the movie concerns the unlikely couple's "adventures" with Andrew's family in a beautiful coastal Alaskan town.
I'll stop there with the plot except to say that Andrew's family is rather eccentric and extremely wealthy much to Margaret's surprise.
WHY THE MOVIE WORKED FOR ME
While the plot here is hardly original and the unfolding of that plot is predictable, I was pleasantly surprised by both the acting and the script for the film.
Both Bullock and Reynolds are right at home in the romantic comedy genre and even though there is a 12 year difference in their ages, there portrayal as a couple was still believable. I thought that the portrayal of Margaret was a little over-the-top and that Ryan was too much of a wuss at first but those problems lessened as the film progressed.
Betty White was delightful as Andrew's zany grandmother, Granda Annie. Some of the funniest lines in the film are hers. Mary Steenburgen ("Howard and Maude", "Time After Time") is somewhat under-utilized as Andrew's mother in the film and Craig T. Nelson ("Coach") is a little too overbearing.
There is one really funny scene with Margaret and a male "exotic" dancer portrayed by Oscar Nunez ("The Office").
The direction by Anne Fletcher was an improvement over her first two films, "27 Dresses" and "Step Up." The film was a little slow at first but picked up characters were developed. The script by Pete Chiarell had some very good moments (some of which are shown during the credits).
Another plus for the film is the cinematography by Oliver Stapleton ("Ned Kelly", "Buffalo Soldiers") particularly on the beautiful Alaskan coastal shots.
While not a great romantic comedy, the film is certainly worth watching far better than "Year One" (but then everything else is better than that dog).
FOUR STARS
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
mike.holmes
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Member: Mike Holmes
Location: Odessa, Texas
Reviews written: 1258
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About Me:
TO HONOR TED KENNEDY, CONGRESS SHOULD PASS A MEANINGFUL HEALTH CARE BILL
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