My friend Libbie and I have a mixed track record when it comes to Sandra Bullock movies. On the one hand, Miss Congeniality was one of the first movies we saw together in the theater, and we loved it. On the other, both of us agreed that 2007's Premonition was pretty dismal. Still, the good impressions outweighed the bad as we watched the trailer for The Proposal,
and the premise looked cute, so we decided this was probably a
cinema-worthy chick flick. I'm glad we followed through on those theater
plans.
The Proposal stars Bullock as Margaret Tate, a no-nonsense book editor seemingly cut out of the same cloth as Meryl Streep's Devil Wears Prada
tyrant, though she never quite achieves that level of cool
collectedness. Still, she rules her office with an iron fist, and nobody
has to put up with more grief than her personal assistant, the adorable
Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds).
There's nothing he won't do in his sycophantic quest to achieve his
dream job, and he's about to find out just how far Margaret will push
that envelope. When she receives the shocking news that she is on the
verge of deportation to Canada, she produces a fiance - Andrew. To
satisfy the government, being engaged is not enough; they'll have to
actually marry. First, though, they'll have to announce the news to his
extended family, who are gathered in Andrew's Alaskan hometown for his
grandmother's 90th birthday party.
My favorite Bullock movie is probably While You Were Sleeping,
a wonderfully sweet romantic comedy about a woman whose longtime crush
is in an accident that knocks him into a coma. She is the first on hand
to help him, and by the time he's safely settled in the hospital, staff
and family alike assume that she is his fiancee. After a few initial
attempts to set the record straight, this lonely woman allows the family
to embrace her. The details of the two movies are very different, but
in some respects the basic plot is very similar: isolated woman falls in
love with the family of a faux fiance. Because while film is about
Margaret and Andrew falling for each other away from the stresses of
work and the constraints of the boss-employee relationship, their
romance blossoms largely because of the nurturing environment of the
affectionate Paxton family. And all that fresh Alaska air doesn't hurt
either. "How could anybody choose the city over that?" Dad asked me
during a scene displaying a vast vista of verdant grass and snow-capped
mountains. I don't know. (I do know, however, that I caught my dad not
only admiring the landscape but laughing out loud several times, so
guys, don't snub this one automatically!)
It's a surprise to us
and Margaret alike when a ride through Andrew's hometown reveals that
the Paxtons practically own the city. Their name is everywhere, and his
parents live in a luxurious estate. His distant father Joe (Craig T.
Nelson) has nothing but disdain for his son's chosen career path; he's
the only child, so Joe was counting on him to keep up the family
business. His mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen) is appropriately named,
for she is happy to forgive Andrew for his long absences and only wants
to keep the peace between the two most important men in her life. The
always-delightful Betty White is the eccentric Paxton family matriarch, a
position whose power she wields shrewdly. Grammy is no dummy, but
unlike the bigoted neighbor White played in Bringing Down the House,
she is genuinely sweet. The previews highlight her punchiest moments,
giving the impression that there's more of a bite to her than there
really is.
Aside from these three, there are four other
significant supporting players. Denis O'Hare is Mr. Gilbertson, a smug
immigration officer who distrusts the sincerity of Margaret and Andrew's
connection. His is largely a comic role, though he is a central source
of conflict as he tails Margaret with relentless Catch Me If You Can-style
determination. There's also Gertrude (Malin Akerman), the childhood
sweetheart who once turned down Andrew's proposal because, unlike him,
she wanted to remain in Alaska, and Kevin, the adorable puppy who
apparently has an innate dislike for Margaret. His slapsticky
contributions to the movie are funny but seem to be there mainly for the
sake of any kids who might be watching.
Finally, there's Ramon, a family friend and jack of all trades. Libbie and I are both fans of The Office,
so we were excited to see Oscar Nunez, who portrays soft-spoken,
level-headed accountant Oscar, in this film and amused by the many roles
the zany character plays in the community. I do think, however, that a
comedic bit involving him as a stripper is gratuitously raunchy and goes
on much longer than it needs to. Though the movie is clearly geared
towards adults and doesn't even have any characters in it who are
children, this is one of the only scenes necessitating a PG-13 rating.
Another involves Margaret and Andrew accidentally colliding while
unclothed, but the circumstances are innocent and the shot is tastefully
done. Scattered throughout the movie are a few suggestive comments, but
there's surprisingly little profanity.
The Proposal is a
tale about the importance of family and respect, and it happens to be
set in an absolutely glorious location. Reynolds and Bullock have great
chemistry despite the slight age gap; she's 12 years older, but that
seems fitting, since she's so much higher up on the totem pole
business-wise. He's lovable from the beginning, while it doesn't take
long for her character to become sympathetic. Margaret has pushed Andrew
around for three years, so it's fun to watch him yank her around a bit
once their strange situation gives him the upper hand, but it's also
touching to see him staunchly defend her when questions about her arise.
Meanwhile, her big end-of-the-movie oration, while strikingly similar
to her speech in While You Were Sleeping, shows how much she has matured in just one weekend.
If
you like Bullock or Reynolds, you'll probably like it, and if you've
also always wanted to visit Alaska, you'll probably love it. For a
feel-good, mostly old-fashioned romantic comedy, I propose you check out
The Proposal!
No comments:
Post a Comment