Movie Review: The Proposal

By FOX43tv.com's Film Reviewer, Stephanie Cooke

Watch the trailer!

When I saw the trailer for this movie, I told myself I wasn't going to like it.  But about midway through, I found myself caring a little about the main characters and being a little drawn in by the story.

This is the story of Margaret, the wicked witch of a book editor, and her beaten down, overused assistant, Andrew.  He puts up with her tirades and improper demands in the hopes of making it one day as a book editor.  His chance comes via the proposal.  You see Margaret's a Canadian who didn't think she really needed to turn in some immigration paperwork.  in order to keep from being deported, she orders Andrew to marry her.  He agrees, but only if she promotes him. 

All could have gone well, and both could have continued to hate each other, except that, in order to prove they weren't lying to the government and committing a major crime, they were forced to travel to Andrew's family's home in Alaska for his grandmother's birthday.

During the visit, the wicked witch melts a little and as luck (or romantic comedy storylines) would have it, they end up not hating each other by the end.  Sandra Bullock does a pretty good job as Margaret.  I actually began to have real compassion for the character and forget that Bullock was behind her --  a testament to Bullock's acting.  And Ryan Reynolds as Andrew brought some of the best comedic timing in the film.  Of course, I've loved him since Three Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place and have known comedy came pretty easy to him.  In this movie, I also enjoyed seing him take control of the character's internal conflict (his dad thinks the whole book editor thing in New York is silly and he wants him to move back to Alaska to run the family businesses). 

And since we're talking about acting, I can't say enough good things about seeing Betty White on the big screen in a role that was just right for her as Andrew's grandmother.  Her comedic timing continues to be some of the best in the business. But far and away, some of the biggest laughs come from a character named Ramone.  be on the lookout for him.   That's all I have to say about that.

Don't get me wrong, there were a number of things wrong with this movie: it fits the mold of all romantic comedies - which means very little freshness in the storyline; the script had a few too many gags (prat falls and spittakes); and the ending was all too predictable. Given all of that do I still recommend it for romantic comedy lovers?  I do.