Film Reviews

The Proposal

• Rating:
• Director: Anne Fletcher
• Starring: Mary Steenburgen
• Details: US / 108mins (12A).

Predictable in an uptight-career-woman-learns-to-chill-out-in-a-What-Happens-In-Vegas meets Sweet-Home-Alabama-plot sort of way, The Proposal has a sweet charm that makes the formulaic plotting easy (or easier) to ignore.
An editor-in-chief of a top New York publishing house, Canadian Margaret Tate (Bullock) has it all but is about to lose it - her work visa's expired and she's going to be deported. Enter besieged assistant Andrew (Reynolds) who agrees to marry her if she makes him editor. Done and done. However, the government smell a rat and as they send Mr Gilberstson (Dennis O Hare) to investigate, the 'couple' take off for Alaska for Andrew's granny's 90th birthday. While spending the weekend with his friendly family, Margaret and Andrew begin to have feelings with each other. But can they convince Gilbertson in time?
An amiable, clean and easy-going romantic comedy, The Proposal works best when Reynolds and Bullock are bouncing off each other. Their relaxed performances sees Bullock on The Devil Wears Prada/Swimming With Sharks bitchy boss mode, while Reynolds does his facetious humour thing that he's been doing for some time now. Both know what they're doing and pull it off without breaking sweat. The story doesn't break a sweat either, with the frantically signalling of gags-to-come being the toughest workout it gets: when Andrew's granny (played by the Golden Girls' Bettie White) warns Margaret not to let the dog out because the eagles will snatch it, you know what's going to happen.
The Proposal, to its credit, does try to escape its own confines by bringing in some interesting subplots: Margaret has been alone since her parents died when she was sixteen; Andrew and his wealthy Kennedy-esque father (Nelson) have a fractious relationship because he wants to make it without daddy's help. These subplots are brought up and then disappear, though. Pity. Despite being not particularly funny and being able to spot the ending from the poster alone, The Proposal is a charming rom-com and a decent date movie.

Review by Gavin Burke