The Proposal – 3 Stars (Good)
The drive to succeed in corporate America can involve total commitment, long hours, stiff competition, and the talent to overcome obstacles. When your name is Margaret Tate, it can also mean being lifeless before, during and after work.
Welcome to “The Proposal,” starring Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate, a cold-hearted and ever-in-control editor-in-chief of a major book publisher in the Big Apple.
Tate forces her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her to avoid being deported to Canada. Paxton agrees on the condition that he achieve her main goal in life, becoming a publisher. When the government investigates what appears to be a bogus effort to avoid deportation, the two conspirators are forced to spend a weekend with their parents in Alaska.
Once there, Margaret Tate finds her whole life spiraling out of control, and Andrew Paxton begins to see a whole different side of his dictatorial and intemperate boss. Could there be a more vulnerable part of Margaret that comes undone when she meets the tight-knit Paxton clan?
Pete Chiarelli gets big props here for writing a good romantic comedy that reminds us of some very basic values that have gone out of style in our modern relationships, like truthfulness and integrity. Chiarelli’s story slowly leads us back to one of the best decisions we’ll ever make in relationships, knowing when to bite the bullet, come to our senses, become humble, and go after what you want: the person of his choice.
Director Anne Fletcher ties The Proposal together at the end, like a perfect bow on an exquisitely wrapped wedding present. It’s not easy to direct romantic comedies, the tendency is to become sappy, sophomores, sentimental or goofy. Anne Fletcher doesn’t do any of this, thanks in part to Sandra Bullock.
I have become a huge fan of Sandra Bullock. When I see her again in The Proposal, I am again amazed at her ability to play her role without looking like an actress or an actress.
Sandra Bullock is not as beautiful as Catherine Zeta Jones, but she is obviously an attractive woman. If you saw her on the red carpet for the first time, you wouldn’t think of a sweet arm from her. She would surprise you with her understated simplicity, depth and presence.
Bullock’s screen appeal is becoming even more popular. Part of this growing awareness of Bullock may be due to female movie buffs who, when they look at Catherine Zeta Jones, know that they can never fully relate to such a beautiful creature, whereas with Sandra Bullock, she could be the girl next door. which could also be them.
Women can see themselves as Bullock, she is not out of his league. Also, guys can look at Bullock and think about asking her out on it. The average guy can only fantasize about Catherine Zeta Jones, but he thinks he could date Bullock, that’s great.
Ryan Reynolds does enough with his role to land a second and third appearance as the lead. Hollywood is hungry for young leads. Yes, there is Brad Pitt, Leonardo De Caprio and Johnny Depp, and women love them. The problem is that they are not leading men. We continually find them in action adventures, not romantic dramas or romantic comedies.
Watching the movie, I thought, “If this is what Alaska looks like, I want to go.” However, in life, people and things are not always what they seem to be. The Proposal was actually filmed in Boston and on Boston’s North Shore. And all those snowy mountains? They were later added digitally.
If you liked watching “Sleepless in Seattle,” I guess you’ll enjoy The Proposal.
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
