For those of you who bemoan the current state of Hollywood and its tired attempts at injecting creativity into the romantic comedy genre; steer clear from this movie. For those of you with some time on your hands and an open mind, by all means go ahead. The Proposal offers nothing we haven't seen before in different shapes and sizes. What it does offer, however, is a rather entertaining and harmless comedy that will brighten a slow day.
The premise is simple enough. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock, looking mighty fine at 44), executive editrix-in-chief extraordinaire (say that five times fast) at a book publishing company, is the boss from hell; or so the script would have it. While Bullock does a respectable attempt at portraying a cold, calculating businesswoman, its simply doesn't measure up against the still-fresh-in-our-minds Miranda Priestly that Meryl Streep gave us in The Devil Wears Prada. She does much better in the second half of the movie (i'll elaborate further along).
As it is, Margaret is being deported because of her imperious disobedience regarding immigration laws. In response she decides to marry her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) in order to get the immigration officers off her back. Andrew, of course, hates her, but is forced to play along since his future is tied to hers. This doesn't stop him, however, from using the change in the status quo to cause her humiliation and discomfort. He starts easy on her, just making her bend her knee (in Louboutins and a pencil skirt, no less) outside the immigration office and propose properly. This is followed by making her drag her heavy luggage around his small Alaskan hometown and setting her up for an uncomfortable run-in with a male stripper.
The trip coincides with the 90th birthday of his "Gammy" (a brilliant Betty White) and also serves the purpose of announcing the engagement to his family. Along the way, Margaret begins to feel guilty about the deception because Andrew's family takes her in so well. This is where her key scene happens. She's getting fitted for the wedding dress and Gammy gives her a family heirloom. She begins to tear up at more than the gesture, being reminded for the first time in years what it's like to have a family to depend on (she's an orphan).
As is customary in this kind of comedy, Margaret and Andrew learn about each other on the way and eventually fall in love. You probably know what's coming and I certainly knew what was coming, but the experience was not any less enjoyable because of this. As Roger Ebert puts it, the movie "recycles a plot that was already old when Tracy and Hepburn were trying it out". But the movie still provides legitimately funny moments and executes them with so much cheer and energy that you can't help but go along with it. I recommend it as one of your next i'm-bored-and-don't-know-what-to-rent choices or if you have a light-movie evening with a group who hasn't seen it.
Le verdict: **
The premise is simple enough. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock, looking mighty fine at 44), executive editrix-in-chief extraordinaire (say that five times fast) at a book publishing company, is the boss from hell; or so the script would have it. While Bullock does a respectable attempt at portraying a cold, calculating businesswoman, its simply doesn't measure up against the still-fresh-in-our-minds Miranda Priestly that Meryl Streep gave us in The Devil Wears Prada. She does much better in the second half of the movie (i'll elaborate further along).
As it is, Margaret is being deported because of her imperious disobedience regarding immigration laws. In response she decides to marry her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) in order to get the immigration officers off her back. Andrew, of course, hates her, but is forced to play along since his future is tied to hers. This doesn't stop him, however, from using the change in the status quo to cause her humiliation and discomfort. He starts easy on her, just making her bend her knee (in Louboutins and a pencil skirt, no less) outside the immigration office and propose properly. This is followed by making her drag her heavy luggage around his small Alaskan hometown and setting her up for an uncomfortable run-in with a male stripper.
The trip coincides with the 90th birthday of his "Gammy" (a brilliant Betty White) and also serves the purpose of announcing the engagement to his family. Along the way, Margaret begins to feel guilty about the deception because Andrew's family takes her in so well. This is where her key scene happens. She's getting fitted for the wedding dress and Gammy gives her a family heirloom. She begins to tear up at more than the gesture, being reminded for the first time in years what it's like to have a family to depend on (she's an orphan).
As is customary in this kind of comedy, Margaret and Andrew learn about each other on the way and eventually fall in love. You probably know what's coming and I certainly knew what was coming, but the experience was not any less enjoyable because of this. As Roger Ebert puts it, the movie "recycles a plot that was already old when Tracy and Hepburn were trying it out". But the movie still provides legitimately funny moments and executes them with so much cheer and energy that you can't help but go along with it. I recommend it as one of your next i'm-bored-and-don't-know-what-to-rent choices or if you have a light-movie evening with a group who hasn't seen it.
Le verdict: **
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