La proposition

The Proposal is a hard film not to enjoy but it's an even harder film to admire. Aside from the two exceptional lead performances from Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock and the humour they create, the story is dowsed in clichés and left to drown. I need a film to at least be thoroughly realistic if not authentic, and the tired screenplay often delves into slapstick and camp when it should have let the leads carry the film.

Bullock and Reynolds ooze charisma in all scenarios here, and their chemistry is what anchors the film firmly in watchability, even elevating the film at times to outright excellence. And to The Proposal's credit for every cliché it puts forth, we often get a quick rebuttal of charm, but which ultimately asks the question, why in the first place? I am almost tempted to follow in critic gene Siskel's footsteps and swear off watching movie trailers, because all the best line are in the promotional material; I don't mean they are the only good lines, simply that they would have made the film even more enjoyable had they been fresh. Directed by Anne Fletcher, who has already had rom-com success with Step Up and 27 Dresses, takes a chance with Bullock in my opinion as most would have good with a younger, hot-at-the-moment star. She does not disappoint and in her role as boss, Bullock is certainly suited; imagine that, a character that looks their supposed age.

The plot is certainly one of contrivance, as are with most romantic comedies today, with the stern manger of a publishing firm (Bullock) essentially blackmailing her younger assistant Andrew (Reynolds) into marrying her so she can save herself from deportation and stay in the U.S. It just so happens of course, that it is Andrew's grandmother's birthday that very weekend and is heading up to Alaska for the celebration. Trapped in secluded north, will this faux engagement become something real? The worst scenes of the film take place in the office, with the underlings of the tyrannical boss quite literally diving for cover upon her arrival. We have surely seen in films like Office Space and The Devil Wears Prada that a work scenario can combine humour with realism without the need for the employees to act like Looney Toones characters. My first impression of the time frame in which evil over bearer and ambitious assistant fall in love was that of annoyance as such feelings would never form so quickly. However I may have initially judged too harshly, as is nicely illustrated, Andrew and Margaret only have each other. Andrew is ambitious and loyal, knowing everything about Margaret, and in turn Margaret is so dedicated to her job without any semblance of a personal life, he is her only true confidante and slowly the scenario becomes slightly less preposterous.

The Alaskan scenery is beautiful, and the supporting cast including the delightful Betty White, Mary Steenburgen and Craig T Nelson make for a well rounded and talented cast. My absolute favourite member, which perhaps not coincidently my favourite part of the film, is Malin Akerman as an old flame of Andrew's. It was so refreshing to see an ex portrayed as a nice, honest human being instead of a vengeful witch and it is these intermittent moments of true human emotion that wouldn't make me turn this film off if I happened by it again; even if I wouldn't seek it out on my own accord.

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Even though it so clearly apes the set-up of David Frankel's "The Devil Wears Prada", I think the first 25 minutes of this 2009 romantic comedy has genuine snap enhanced by the sharp comedy interplay between stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Once the story leaves the Manhattan publishing house for the pastoral wilderness of Alaska, the story reverts into a formulaic sitcom bearing more than a passing resemblance to Bullock's break-out vehicle, 1995's "While You Were Sleeping", including an escalation of comic deceptions and a heart-tugging wedding confessional. Give credit to the fortyish actress/producer for not giving in too much to standard ingénue behavior this time. In fact, she plays the alpha dog with Reynolds relegated to the traditional leading lady role. The result produces enough contrived shenanigans to please Bullock's die-hard fans thanks to by-the-numbers work by director Anne Fletcher ("27 Dresses") and first-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli.

The storyline has Bullock playing vituperative book editor Margaret Tate, a workaholic careerist who instills fear into her entire office. As her bullied assistant Andrew Paxton, Reynolds caters to her every whim in the hopes that she will help boost his publishing career. As is typical for an opposites-attract rom-com, a complication occurs when Margaret, a Canadian, finds out she is to be deported because her visa application has been denied. Instead of facing immediate termination, she manipulates Andrew to let her superiors know that they are getting married. This moment of desperate deceit leads to an awkward visit with an immigration agent who senses a green-card arrangement and requires proof of their relationship. In order to avert suspicion, Margaret accompanies Andrew to visit his close-knit family in Sitka, Alaska, where it is revealed his family is quite wealthy and in fact, run many of the businesses in town.

They continue their charade of being engaged, which of course, fans the flames of his family's enthusiasm for a wedding. The rest of the film is pretty much you would expect save a strange episode of Andrew's grandmother performing a native dance in the woods. It's funny to see how Bullock cleverly uses the same prickliness she displayed effectively in her near-cameo in Paul Haggis' "Crash" in this film's establishing scenes as Margaret. In turn, Reynolds shows smart timing as put-upon Andrew, and their interplay has a nice edge. Note how well they perform during the best scenes early on when Margaret baldly lies about their upcoming nuptials at the office and in front of the immigration officer. It's just when they move into more traditional rom-com territory where their chemistry feels weakened and the sparks doused. Chiarelli's haphazard screenplay doesn't help them as they have little beyond one bedtime confessional scene to make us think they may belong together. Craig T. Nelson plays a familiar role as Andrew's disapproving father, but their subplot weighs down the proceedings unnecessarily.

Except for one brief face-off with Nelson, Mary Steenburgen is wasted as Andrew's always-smiling mother. Betty White is a welcome sight as feisty Grandma Annie, although I wish the creators could have made her more like Sue Ann Nivens ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and less like Rose Nylund ("The Golden Girls"). As the girl Andrew left behind in Sitka, Malin Akerman ("Watchmen") is actually left stranded by the script, while Oscar Nuñez ("The Office") grows increasingly tiresome as store clerk/male stripper Ramone. His absurd club performance, along with a nude run-in between the principals, just shows how little faith the creators had in the material to sustain the plot. Standard extras come with the 2009 DVD: a decent commentary track from Fletcher and Chiarelli (but sadly not the actors), seven minutes of outtakes, two deleted scenes of little interest, and an alternate ending which really just switches the locale versus the resolution.

Well, if I could split the movie into two, I would say that the first half is a superb Proposal and the second half is fairly traditional Hollywood pablum. In the first half, the wonderful comedic timing and chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds was terrific. The writing was first-rate intellectual, snappy sparring, even throwing in some literary references in the put-downs. Kudos to the Director, Anne Fletcher, and the Screenwriter, Pete Chiarelli.

The completely different tone in the second half, I surmise, could only be attributed to the studios/producers stepping in and stating that the film must appeal to a wider audience. We, then, get lots of family characters thrown in, with a great reduction of Bullock and Reynolds mutual screen time. And when they do share time in the second half, it's more about slapstick/physical humor (cue studios/producers needing appeal to wider, a.k.a, younger audience). Maudlin music comes in on the soundtrack, letting us know that this part of the movie is supposed to tug on our heartstrings.

I don't buy the inevitable resolution either. I don't believe that it is supported well or justified by what came before it.

The 1st 45 minutes is WELL worth seeing. I wish the filmmakers could have pushed and maintained the pace and feel for the entire movie. Reynolds and Bullock are so good, they could be this generation's Tracy and Hepburn. I'd like to see them in another project that follows through all the way.

BTW, this film was actually shot in Boston and (the Alaska scenes) in Manchester by the Sea and Rockport on the North Shore with digital effects adding snow capped mountains. You might even recognize Motif No.1, a famous small building on a wharf in Rockport which has been the subject of many famous painters' and photographers' work. It was also fun seeing some of my local Boston area acting colleagues doing background work in the film.

The Proposal isn't going to win any Oscars, nor will it become your favourite movie of all time. However, it does exactly what it is supposed to do; that is to entertain you. The Proposal is the story of a tough editor Margaret Tate (Bullock) who forces her assistant Andrew Tate (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can stay in the U.S. (Interestingly, in the movie Bullock plays a Canadian and Reynolds an American while in real life, the reverse is true). What happens next will not surprise viewers but they will get many laughs along the way. Reynolds and Bullocks are very funny and also very believable. Betty White (from the Golden Girls) almost steals the show as Andrew's 90 year old "Gammy". The beautiful Alaskan setting doesn't hurt things either. Overall this is not a unique movie or even a unique role for Bullock but it is a very funny (and fun) way to spend an afternoon.

My jaw is still aching, almost an hour and a half after the credits rolled. I don't recall when I last laughed this consistently and heartfelt at a new production. Yes, this is pretty formulaic stuff... if you've seen one mismatched couple romantic comedy, you've seen them all. This never claimed to be anything other than that. It definitely delivers what one expects from the genre, without any of it being phoned in or taken any less seriously. Not every film needs to revolutionize the craft, and shape cinema for decades to come. If everything was excellent, it would become the norm, and it would cease to be special. And I find it incredible and immensely positive that a movie with this kind of humor(observational, and largely derived from typical situations that happen to everyone) can still be made, and be nicely received. Humiliation and pain are not actually funny. They get a schadenfreude reaction, "thank goodness that didn't happen to me", and thus we move further apart, isolate ourselves all the more. This does the opposite, letting us get closer to each other, share the little things that we've forgotten are silly or "off" in our everyday lives. It does go a tad too far on occasion, to get the audience going, but those instances are few in number. The acting is great all-round, and the two leads have chemistry, and play off each other well. There are countless memorable sequences, jokes and gags in this. This contains "moments" between Bullock and Reynolds, as well, and they genuinely work. You feel for them. The characters are just about invariably well-written, interesting and credible. In general, the script is well-done. The music is pleasant and well-chosen. This ought to entertain nearly everyone, of any age. There is a little strong and/or risqué language, and a couple of usually mild sexual references, and this tends to be inoffensive. I recommend this to all who think they may enjoy it. Chances are that you're right. 8/10