The Proposal

With The Proposal you pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get, and that isn’t a criticism. This is one of those romantic comedies that Sandra Bullock seems to specialise in, where the plot is almost perfunctory and it’s all about the pratfalls, broad comedy strokes and the chemistry between the actors.

While it doesn’t always work for Bullock, here everything comes together well, with her as the likable presence at the centre of the film, ably assisted by Ryan Reynolds, who’s a very entertaining comedy actor, even if he’s being specialising in action films recently. The combination of the two has certainly proven a winning formula, as the movie has now taken over $130 million in the US, making it Bullock’s highest grossing movie ever (even Speed only made $121 million).

Bullock is high-powered book editor Margaret Tate, while Reynolds is her long-suffering assistant, Andrew. Margaret gets into a spot of bother when it becomes apparent that she’s going to be deported from America back to her native Canada due to problems with her immigration status. She then tells everyone that it’s ok because she’s going to marry Andrew and get her US green card that way. He grudgingly accepts, under the condition he gets a promotion. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that as Margaret and Andrew start to organise their impromptu wedding, real feelings start to swirl.

As I said, it’s not really about the plot, other than that like Miss Congeniality it gives plenty of scope for misunderstandings, silly situations and Bullock falling over (and in this she’s joined by Reynolds, who’s just a good at pratfalls as she is). But despite its lack of original plot, it works. It’s daft, sweet, predictable, cheesy and charming, and while you may hate yourself for liking it, it’s tough not to enjoy. Indeed it’s a feat director Anne Fletcher has now achieved twice, with 27 Dresses being another movie that you know you should rail against for being stereotyped and clichéd, but which is just  too sweet, silly and fun not to kind of like.

You may have noticed that there’s been a lot written in the media about the film’s nude scene, which isn’t because it’s particularly revealing or titillating, but because there really isn’t an awful lot more to talk about. The Proposal has no profound insights, groundbreaking storylines, or indeed anything that even nudges the boundaries of gender stereotypes or rom com cliché, but it honestly doesn’t matter. This is safe, harmless comedy fluff that achieves its aim of leaving you grinning when the credits roll, which is a hell of a lot more than many similar movie do.

Overall Verdict: It’s immensely cheesy and doesn’t have an original bone in its body, but thanks to good chemistry and comedy timing between the leads, it’s a proposal that’s not difficult to accept.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac