‘The Proposal’ – Great fun with a chemistry that pops!

THE PROPOSAL (PG 13)

Director: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Sandra Bullock; Ryan Reynolds; Mary Steenburgen; Craig T. Nelson; Betty White

Surprises.  That’s what this movie was for me.  My first surprise was the pairing of Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.  I really didn’t think it would work!  Reynolds struck me as a bit of a man-child in his movies and well, Bullock is a master at comedy.  But the chemistry just popped on screen!  Reynolds plays Andrew Paxton, an aspiring writer and the harried assistant to Bullock’s Queen Bitch publishing mogul, Margaret Tate.  After being caught out with an expired visa, Margaret has to find a way to stay to stay in the US or be deported to Canada.  And the way she found was to marry Andrew.

 Now, Ryan Reynolds could easily have played Andrew as a whimpering ‘Yes-Ma’am’ type of assistant but he gave as good as he got, even one-upping Margaret when he realised just what he could get if he agreed to her ‘proposal’.  He also played Andrew with a lot of unexpected depth.  Bullock was at her best as usual.  Balancing the straight-laced, doesn’t blink when she fires people-Tate with crazy, offering the dog to the eagle-Margaret, with vulnerable Margaret Tate who had forgotten what family was when she lost her family at 16.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me how well the movie is doing in the box office.  The banter between the 2 leads is what really sells the movie and it’s what got me.  Other surprises include how amazing Sandra Bullock looks for her age(!), how game she and Ryan Reynolds were for the scene when they unintentionally got to ‘know’ each other better and that Betty White is still the sweet but sharp-tongued comedienne she’s always been.

Rounding out the cast is Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson as Andrew’s parents, Malin Ackerman as Andrew’s ‘road-not-taken’ and Oscar Nuñez, a totally love him or loathe him, he pops up anywhere character.

It’s not in the league of ‘While You Were Sleeping’ or ‘When Harry Met Sally’ but it was a thoroughly enjoyable film all the same. Nice to see you back on the big screen, Sandra!

Photo source: ComingSoon.net

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