The Proposal (Ann Fletcher, 2009)

Judging from the trailers I had seen for this film, it was going to fit right within Sandra Bullock’s oeuvre of romantic comedies. Now I like Bullock − I think she’s a great fit for these type of roles but unfortunately, it’s a genre that doesn’t see a lot of variation or originality.

The different approach that this film tries to take revolves around the fact that a female character “proposes” to a male character, instead of the usual ‘boys asks girl’ scenario. However, as we see, this “proposal” for marriage is for entirely different purposes. Bullock plays Margaret, an editor of a publishing company and after finding out that she is about to be deported back to Canada because of an expired visa, she pressures her assistant, Andrew Paxton (played by Ryan Reynolds), to marry her so she can stay in the country.

From the start of The Proposal, we see that Margaret and Andrew are two very different, seemingly incompatible people. Bullock’s character surprised me with her coldness and her attitude towards her assistant, almost reminiscent of Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada. (On a sidenote, why are editors always portrayed this way − none of the editors I know are anything like this!)

Anyway, not surprisingly, as Margaret gets to know Andrew and his family, we see the attraction grow between them. There are a few unusual scenes, such as when Margaret and Andrew bump into each other in the bedroom, both naked. But I suspect this scene was just an excuse to provide some extra visual interest for admirers of Bullock and Reynolds! I found some of the events at the end of the film a little strange − while the resolution wasn’t itself entirely unexpected, the way the film reaches that conclusion is quite weird. Also, on this note, I have to mention Betty White, who plays Andrew’s grandmother, or “Gammy”, as she is referred to in the film. White’s presence in this film becomes more significant towards the end. Anyway, although a little jarring at times, I give the film credit for trying to approach what is quite an exhausted genre in a different way. And it always helps having Bullock around too.

3/5