The Proposal? More Like The Contrivance!
Written: Jul 06 '09
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Ryan Reynolds can be funny at times
Cons: Predictable, contrived, uncomfortable at times and not very funny
The Bottom Line: The Proposal is a waste of time and should be avoided at all costs.
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| chad8246's Full Review: The Proposal |
OK, I first must admit that The Proposal is not a movie that aims for me as its target audience. I am a 35 year old male who certainly doesn't seek out romantic comedies on a regular basis. But, when your girlfriend starts making demands, sometimes you have to bite the bullet to make her happy. So, that's exactly what I did this past weekend. We escaped the 100 degree plus heat with a trip to the movie and The Proposal was the film of choice. I'm still not sure we made the right decision.
The film starts off simple enough (or maybe I should say simplistic). Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) is late for work and he must rush to get himself together and make it on time to the office. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is in the exact opposite situation. She's calm, collected and leisurely strolls into the office on time. Of course, it's important to point out that the entire office is warned to her arrival with the following instant message, "It has arrived." You see, she's a mean boss and nobody likes her. This is surely the grounds for comedy gold if I've ever seen it.
Andrew arrives just in time but one coffee less after spilling one on a colleague's shirt. He sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of his boss'. Why he would do this is beyond understanding? Yes, you should respect your boss and you should do the things that he/she requests. But, not in this situation. Margaret is downright mean and unpleasant which does not even allow for her employees to respect her. I know, it's tough to hold in the laughter already.
Now, for the driving force of the plot...Margaret is an illegal immigrant and is set to be deported. She's so busy that she's totally ignored all of the important letters from the government that would have allowed her to say. That makes complete sense...an intelligent and professional business woman would totally ignore vital government papers that allow her to work and succeed in a business world that she excels. What to do, you might ask? Easy, just tell her bosses that she's marrying her assistant. Obviously, hilarity ensues as they must fool the immigration office, Andrew's family (who just happen to live thousands of miles away in Alaska which allows for more stale comedy), and of course, themselves.
Let me first share with you a few of the things that I did enjoy about The Proposal. I do think both Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are able to pull off comedic roles. Bullock is merely average here, but Reynolds is funny. Sadly much of it is hard to locate simply because of the tepid script. But, when he's able to let loose it works well. Some of his best work in the film actually takes place after the credits, so make sure you stay for those. However, I wouldn't blame you for not making it that far into the film. Oh, and you do get to see skin from both of the stars. That's something that I certainly can't complain about. Sandra Bullock did look good and according to my girlfriend, so did Ryan Reynolds.
So, what's bad about the film? Quite honestly, most of it. In reality, the standard color by numbers plot that so many romantic comedies follow is not the real problem. Yes, it's formulamtic, but you expect that when watching a film like this. It's also contrived, predicable and embarrassing at points. But, it's the actual execution that results in all of the problems.
There is so much of the film that is telegraphed I was able to predict almost every plot point about 15 minutes before it happens. If you think for one second that the "awe so cute dog" isn't going to get outside at the hands of Margaret and end up being captured by a local hawk after hearing the following line, "be sure not to let him out of the house because a hawk will snatch him" I simply don't know what to say.
I also feel that I need to single out two of the embarrassing characters in the film. Both Betty White's character of Gammie and Oscar Nunez's character of Ramone left me cringing at various times in the film. I understand what the goal of the Gammie character was...a wise, sweet, sometimes off-color elder stateswomen. Too bad the character is only annoying, rude and inconsiderate. I don't really know what to actually say about Ramone. I also appreciate the "jack-of-all-trades" effect that was trying to be achieved. But, all of it falls flat and sometimes forces you to look away in disgust.
Another interesting problem with The Proposal is the various plot lines that are introduced yet aren't fleshed out in the film. The obvious one is the inclusion of Andrew's former girlfriend, Gertrude (Malin Akerman). Initially, I thought she would serve as a barrier to the eventual coupling of Andrew and Margaret. However, that was never the case. In fact, Margaret and Gertrude actually share several unrealistic scenes that would never occur between someone's fiancé and former girlfriend.
As I left the theater I knew why I saw this film...to make my girlfriend happy. And, turns out, she was happy after seeing The Proposal. I was happy because I was finally leaving the theater. That's why movies like this exist, some people like them. I am not, however, one of those people. I attended because I had to. My girlfriend was nice enough to see Star Trek with me and I'm sure I'll have to see Inglorious Basterds alone (which isn't really that bad). But, that's ok. Please, just know what to expect if you go see The Proposal. This is not going to be a ground breaking piece of cinema. You may laugh some, but I certainly can't guarantee it. If the best thing about it is that your significant other comes out of the theater happy, then it just may be worth your time to see it.
Recommended:
No
Movie Mood: Date Movie
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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Epinions.com ID:
chad8246
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Location: Houston, Texas
Reviews written: 225
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Lousy Smarch weather!
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