|
 |
|
 
|
The Proposal
Many romantic comedies these days lean heavier on juvenile comedy than romance, and aim for a target demographic slightly older than your average sorority girl, which is why at first glance, The Proposal is a welcome addition to the genre. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds play two relatively mature professionals who are thrown together by way of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chaos and some chuckles ensue, but, alas, few real sparks do. Bullock plays publishing executive Margaret Tate, who terrorizes her co-workers with threats and demands her coffee a certain way, of course. Ryan Reynolds is her assistant Andrew Paxton. When Margaret learns she's going to be deported to Canada because she's been too busy barking orders to fill out her own immigration paperwork, she pressures Andrew into a green card marriage, and he accepts. Because he loves her – oops! – I mean, because he has to. Andrew takes Margaret back to his hometown in Alaska to meet the family, refreshingly un-kooky for the most part, though Betty White gets some good laughs as the family matriarch. Because we know before the opening credits roll how this movie will end, it's a given that Margaret must secretly pine for Andrew, and Andrew will discover that he loves Margaret, too, but The Proposal doesn't offer its two leads enough of a chance to build that relationship. Fifteen minutes into the movie, we're sent packing to Alaska, leaving me wondering what their relationship was like before the big weekend. There's little sexual tension between the two at the office, and neither one is given a chance to show how much they truly love books or publishing, so Margaret and Andrew seem to have very little in common other than the co-dependence that comes when a boss has an assistant whipped. How I would have enjoyed a more equal balance between the scenes set in Alaska and those back in the office in New York, allowing more of a set-up between Andrew and Margaret that would give them a chance to build their seemingly feisty, forbidden love that neither will acknowledge.
It may seem unfair to hold The Proposal up to the standards of romantic comedy classics such as His Girl Friday or something with Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn. But that's squarely where this film lies in terms of plot, and I had high hopes for it. Sandra Bullock (that lovely, naturalized Texan!) is still one of the best in the biz for this type of thing, but this “Proposal” falls just short enough for me to withhold a recommendation. NOTE: The Proposal is available on DVD, a two-disc DVD, and the format I watched it in, Blu-ray. Both the standard two-disc DVD and Blu-ray include a digital copy of the film to enjoy on mobile devices. The Blu-ray disc's picture and audio quality is excellent. Bonus features include an entertaining and thoughtful audio commentary by the film's director and producer, and an alternate ending that would have stopped the film cold if used. 10/23/2009 Back to the main Cinema Tuesdays Reviews page More about the Cinema Tuesdays series  |
|||||||
The Proposal also ends on an odd note, as Andrew chases Margaret back to New York. A big scene in front of the rest of the office feels inappropriate, as if it should have been played out in a more intimate setting. Maybe it's because I'm in a supervisory position myself at work, or maybe it's because I'm writing this only a few weeks after David Letterman admitted to having sex with his staff, but it also feels strange for a boss to basically openly acknowledge they're bedding a subordinate and then see the staff cheer about it.