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If you don't know how "The Proposal" will turn out
before popping in the DVD, maybe you're better off because
it means you haven't seen as many romantic comedies as I
have. I, unfortunately, know the formula like the back of
my hand. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad movie,
of course, but it does make it a lot harder to get into.
***
Imagine, if you will, two people at opposite ends of
the personality spectrum; she's a pushy boss, and he's her
lowly personal assistant. Now imagine that they find themselves
in close contact for a couple of days, and during that time,
they discover that they do, in fact, love each other. Honestly,
it doesn't take a degree in cinema to figure this one out.
Thankfully, "The Proposal" manages to be halfway decent
in spite of its overused formula. I'm not quite recommending
it, but still, there are worse films out there ("My Life
in Ruins" very quickly comes to mind). ***
The pushy boss is Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), who
works for a publishing house in New York City. Actually,
she's more like the boss from hell, not so much because
she's demanding but because she's incredibly mean-spirited,
pointing out personal faults that have no business being
pointed out. ***
Her lowly personal assistant is Andrew Paxton (Ryan
Reynolds), a driven young man with a manuscript he wants
published. In the course of fifteen minutes, Margaret fires
a prominent employee, bullies a reclusive author into appearing
on "Oprah," and orders Andrew to work over the weekend.
It doesn't matter to her that he was supposed to go home
to Alaska that same weekend for his grandmother's ninetieth
birthday. ***
The crux of the story: Margaret, a Canadian immigrant,
has just learned from her superiors that her visa has expired,
which means she'll have to leave the company and be deported.
Desperate to stay on top, she blackmails Andrew into pretending
that he's her fiancé. He goes along with it, but only on
the condition that he be promoted to an editorial position.
***
They then have to convince an immigration agent (Denis
O'Hare) that they're not committing fraud, so they say that
they will be going to Alaska over the weekend and surprise
Andrew's family with the good news (Margaret's family is
conveniently not in the picture). At this point, they agree
that it's strictly a business deal; they will get divorced
as soon as they possibly can and move on with their lives.
***
In Alaska, Margaret is shocked to learn that Andrew
is from a very affluent family. Here enters his accommodating
mother, Grace (Mary Steenburgen), his kooky but loveable
grandmother, Annie (Betty White), and his disapproving father,
Joe (Craig T. Nelson), who wanted him to stay in Alaska
and take over the family business. ***
The ensuing scenes of Margaret and Andrew fooling everyone
around them don't generate big laughs, although their sarcastic
verbal jabs are effective. I also admit that they share
more than a few smirk-inducing physical moments, such as
when they bump into each other and fall over when they happen
to be completely naked. ***
There's also a point at which he's forced to get into
bed with her because his mother is at the door and wants
to serve them breakfast; as they frantically position themselves
in a loving pose, Margaret is rudely reminded of what happens
to a man's body when he wakes up in the morning. ***
Some of the amusement is balanced with one or two touching
moments, as when Margaret lies in bed and tells Andrew facts
about herself. I won't rattle off a list, but I will say
that she isn't as immune to character attacks as she makes
herself out to be. ***
But for every decent scene, there are at least three
others that aren't very good at all. There's a subplot,
for example, involving a character named Ramone (Oscar Nuñez),
who seems to do a little bit of everything in this small
Alaska town. When he's not a caterer, he's a minister. And
when he's not a minister, he's a shop owner. And when he's
not a shop owner, he's a male stripper. We know he's a male
stripper because Grace and Annie decide to take Margaret
to one of his shows as a surprise. Is there any such thing
as Amateur Night at a Chippendale club? ***
There's also a painfully unfunny scene in which Margaret
goes off into the woods and spots Annie performing a chanting
ritual around a fire pit; Margaret, encouraged to chant
along, performs a profanity-laced rap solo. ***
Tension mounts when, on a whim, Andrew's family decides
that his wedding should take place during his visit, specifically
on Annie's birthday. Can Andrew and Margaret go through
with it knowing it's a sham? Will Margaret be able to reconcile
her growing feelings for Andrew? Will Annie be able to alter
her old wedding dress to accommodate Margaret's less-than-ample
breasts? As I already said, I knew the answers to these
questions beforehand, and I'm sure most viewers will be
in the exact same situation. ***
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