Naked Bullock's Indecent Proposal
"The Proposal" is the sort of romantic comedy which is pleasant enough to watch but then so are many romantic comedies and there is next to nothing which makes you feel like you need to watch it again. Okay so there maybe a couple of things; one being Sandra Bullock dancing to "Get Low" and the other well that would be a naked Sandra Bullock running into an equally naked Ryan Reynolds. But aside from those two things "The Proposal" is just fun with Betty White stealing many a scene with a twinkle in her eye especially when she is communing with Mother Nature.
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock - Premonition) is the boss from hell, despised by her staff who work in fear of catching her gaze. But when Margaret learns that Immigration is going to deport her back to Canada and she will lose everything she has worked for she claims that she is engaged to her efficient and very patient assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds - X-Men Origins: Wolverine) much to his horror. Immigration Officer Mr. Gilbertson (Denis O'Hare) is less than convinced of this sudden news of Margaret and Andrew's romance and so in order to convince him they head up to see Andrew's family in Sitka, Alaska for the weekend and Grandma Annie's (Betty White - Annie's Point) birthday.
So "The Proposal" is another in a long line of movies which gives us the fake relationship storyline as Margaret and Andrew set out to convince everyone that they are in love and getting married to save Margaret from being deported back to Canada. As such there are no real surprises when it comes to how things play out as suddenly Margaret and Andrew start to have feelings for each other which of course confuses matters. There is something a bit extra to this as Margaret as a city girl struggles when she arrives in Sitka not only shocked to discover that Andrew's family are wealthy with a huge home and business empire but also shocked at the backwater ways. Yes that means we have some fish out of water comedy be it Margaret dealing with Andrew's hands on mum and Grandma, Ramone the erotic dancer or the fact that the internet connection is a dial up. It's okay but none of it is that special and makes "The Proposal" stand out from any other romantic comedy featuring built around a fake relationship and sham engagement.
What this really means is that like so many romantic comedies "The Proposal" becomes a movie about the big set pieces, the gags which you know have been written to make people watch and talk about the movie. As such we have Sandra Bullock naked running into an equally naked Ryan Reynolds in a mishap in the bedroom which rather strangely is not as good as it sounds. What is better is Sandra Bullock dancing to "Get Low" and letting go with some serious booty shaking a scene which is funny as much for Betty White's contribution as the mischievous Annie and her communing with Mother Nature. But whilst these couple of scenes are memorable they don't really save "The Proposal" and in the end it ends up routine with a bit of comedy and very little actual romance.
On the subject of routine both Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds whilst delivering typical romantic comedy performances as Margaret and Andrew don't exactly stretch themselves. The fault is as much to do with their ordinary characters than their acting but it is another reason as to why "The Proposal" whilst amusing is forgettable. Fairing better are the supporting performances especially from Bette White who is a real scene stealer as Grandma Annie be it when communing with Mother Nature or when fondling Margaret's breasts as she tries on a family wedding dress.
What this all boils down to is that "The Proposal" is a typical modern romantic comedy which with the exception of a couple of big set pieces is forgettable. It's not that it is a bad movie just one which ends up too familiar and if it wasn't for Sandra Bullock getting naked or dancing to "Get Low" it would have nothing going for it.
