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Movie review: Bullock, Reynolds save ‘retread’ 'Proposal'

By Jennifer Iverson/Contributor

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Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds star in the romantic comedy "The Proposal." / Walt Disney Pictures

"The Proposal” starts out as a tired retread of every other romantic comedy that employs the premise that opposites attract.

Written with unapologetic predictability by Pete Chiarelli, the script vacillates between offering up abundant clich/s about the temperament of a woman executive and her male assistant and telling a somewhat more realistic account of the birth of friendship and the value of family ties.

Surprisingly, in this hodgepodge of a plot, director Anne Fletcher manages to showcase a lovely ensemble cast that relies significantly on the appealing screen chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

Called “the witch” by her staff, Margaret (Bullock) is a tyrannical book editor who has strung along her devoted assistant Andrew (Reynolds) for years by making vague and ultimately empty promises of a promotion within the company.

When faced with deportation back to her native Canada, Margaret hastily hatches a plan that involves blackmailing Andrew into marrying her.

Agreeing to finally come through with his editing job, Margaret also convinces Andrew to let her accompany him to his family home and spend the weekend cramming for independent interviews being conducted by a particularly suspicious immigration officer who believes the impending marriage to be a fraud. In addition, they are both threatened with legal action and jail time if the marriage proves to be bogus.

Believing he is already too involved in the deception to bolt, Andrew reluctantly proceeds with Margaret in tow to Sitka, Alaska, where it turns out that Andrew’s family owns most of the town and lives in a waterfront mansion.

The family, played by Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen and Betty White, have their own concerns about his sudden engagement but instead of alienating a woman their son has previously scorned, they embrace her as one of their own.

In the process of being pushed into an impromptu wedding, Margaret and Andrew discover that they not only “like” each other but they also might make a pretty great couple. Complications, of course, ensue and result in the typical but satisfying conclusion that most viewers will have expected at the beginning of the film.

Bullock’s likeability factor is still going strong, and this makes it hard to buy her “mean” act at the beginning of the picture, but she makes up for that as the film progresses. In between the wisecracks and silly physical comedy, she and Reynolds inject vulnerability and charm into their performances and it goes a long way in making this movie enjoyable.

While “The Proposal” will probably get bashed by most critics and surely won’t rival the blockbusters set for release in the next couple of weeks, those who give it a chance will likely appreciate the humor, sentiment, romance and sweet intentions of this film.

(2 1/2 stars out of 4)