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Say yes to the 'Proposal'
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Getting hitched.
If you're not a film critic and don't see every romantic comedy ever made it's often easy to assume that we're all stuck up jerks who don't like fun, love or mushy stuff. The actual case is that we all like that stuff, it's just most rom-coms are really bad, and when you see that many really bad movies in one genre you start to get a little cynical. However, The Proposal gives some hope that the rom-com can still function.
The film is like a classic piano standard played by a guy who knows the standards; there's nothing original there, but he knows what he's doing so it's fun to hear (in this case watch) anyway. The immensely unoriginal plot follows Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), who is a high-powered, stuck-up publisher Canadian working in America, and her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). Tate leaves the US illegally and thus must be deported because she isn't a citizen, because of this she pulls Andrew into a lie that they are both getting married. Of course the US government is actually going to look into stuff like that so the couple must go to Andrew's family home in Alaska and pretend they are actually getting married.
You can imagine the awkward situations that ensue pretty easily because you've probably seen a bunch of them before, but Bullock is such a pro at these types of movies and Reynolds is just so damn charming that they make the tired old stuff work perfectly well. I'm not saying this is a Sleepless in Seattle classic, but actually laughing at the jokes is always nice when you head out to a romantic comedy. Plus, adding Betty White to anything makes stuff better, though in this case some of her scenes as Andrew's grandmother fall pretty flat.
What is obvious here is that basic slapstick comedy and jokes can really work if they're delivered well and function. Two people running into each other naked is one of the easiest gags to see coming, but it works in The Proposal because its set up well and its stars look good naked. The rest of the story is as predictable as that joke with Andrew having father issues, Margaret having family issues and an awkward stripper scene featuring the hilarious Oscar Nunez from The Office in far less clothing than you actually ever wanted to see him in.
I complained about jokes getting old in my review of Year One, but The Proposal shows that some old classics can be dusted off every once in a while as long as they're delivered competently. The movie isn't going to set the world on fire with anything, but it has enough charm and wit it entertain, and, of course, make any girl go "Awwwwwww." A sound men would never make, right?
Recent Reviews: Year One
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