Film: The Proposal

STARRING: Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, While You Were Sleeping ); Ryan Reynolds (Wolverine, Van Wilder)
DIRECTOR: Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up, choreographer)
WRITER: Peter Chiarelli (newcomer)
PLOT: An executive blackmails her assistant to marry her to keep from being deported back to Canada. Of course a family get together puts a wrench in the plans.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I don’t consider myself a fan of romantic comedies. However, I have seen most of the Sandra Bullock ones (except Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous; I couldn’t get past the title). Bullock is fun to watch. It seems effortless to her. She is not afraid to look foolish and she’s great at being sarcastic and sincere. That’s probably why they keep putting her in these films.
4 Ryan Reynolds is so darn charming. I will always see him as Van Wilder, no matter what kind of role he plays. His line delivery might always sound the same but it seems to work. I also like that he’s a good Canadian boy. Way to represent.
4 Like many comedies, it’s the supporting roles that steal the show. Betty White (Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore) proves that she still has the comedic chops. She is so fun to watch. There’ s a weird chanting scene, but I think it’s just in the movie to give White more time to interact with Bullock. It’s also nice to see Oscar Nunez (The Office) in his multiple roles. His stripper performance is quite disturbing.
4 At times, I felt like I was watching While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is great at making families fall in love with her and then she leaves them sad when things don’t work out. That is until the guy chases her down with the family’s blessing. Disappointing and cliché.
4 Lots of people are talking about the ‘nude’ scene where a naked Bullock and Reynolds run into each other. The scene does not serve the plot at all. I’m pretty sure it’s in there to show the audience that Bullock can still look young and sexy. The setup is so over the top as well. Reynolds’ character decides to take off all his clothes while standing on his bedroom balcony instead of in the bedroom. Who does that?

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for Movie Central or TBS
(you’ve seen this all before)

COMING SOON
Transformers 2