The Proposal (DVD, 2009)

I love watching Sandra Bullock, who is enjoyable even in the lamest of films. And sadly, there are so many lame movies starring Bullock, and so few that I would enjoy watching more than once -- Infamous is a rare exception. After I saw Speed, I said that I thought Bullock could be this generation's Carole Lombard, but unfortunately the actress has not yet found her Howard Hawks or Ernst Lubitsch. The Proposal is yet another Bullock-starring formulaic romantic comedy with little to offer except sparkling performances, and not just from Bullock.

Margaret Tate (Bullock) is the terror of the Manhattan publishing office where she's editor-in-chief, and even her charming assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) is scared of her. Her Achilles heel turns out to be that she's ... Canadian, and she's about to be deported for a year due to some visa problems. So Margaret hurriedly declares that she's engaged to Andrew, who's American. You don't have to have seen Green Card to guess the rest of the story.

The "happy couple" meets with skepticism from INS, so to prove their love, they travel to Andrew's family home in small-town Alaska to celebrate his Granny Annie's (Betty White) 90th birthday. Since Bullock is starring and it's a romantic comedy, we know her character will be humbled and tumbled about, away from her native habitat of New York. If only we could vanquish all our power-crazed bosses this way ...

Admittedly, I am so pleased to see Bullock -- or any actress, for that matter -- playing a romantic comedy heroine who isn't "adorably" klutzy or awkward that I'm almost willing to love The Proposal on that strength alone. However, I don't care for the stereotype of the Evil Female Witch-Boss either, especially when you know a comeuppance is forthcoming. At least this character doesn't need an adorable child to become acceptably feminine.

In addition, I don't like humiliation comedy, which is in abundance during the first half of The Proposal. I don't laugh when a character is taken down a peg by being blackmailed onto her knees in public (as in the above photo), or when a male character is embarrassed about being portrayed as a "sensitive guy" around his manly friends. I feel sorry for them, even if they're fictional. I never could watch even "America's Funniest Home Videos" because I always pitied the stumbling bride or clumsy child. I realize I'm in the minority -- a lot of audience members nearly laughed themselves sick over one character being mean to another, or being harassed by Mother Nature -- so use your judgment here about your own sense of humor.

The Proposal does have some inspired comic moments -- I love the waves of instant messaging that flow through the publishing office, signaling that Margaret is stalking the floor or spreading gossip. And being a geek, one bit involving a sound in an Internet cafe made me giggle. Many of the gags, however, were old and tired when Granny Annie was a mere slip of a girl.

Despite the tired and sometimes mean-spirited jokes, Bullock is still delightful to watch. She knows how to portray this type of character and her transformation, and hits every note perfectly. Reynolds doesn't have a strongly written character to work with, but he's charming enough to pull it off anyway. For the most part, the supporting cast has little to do: Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson are typically parental, Malin Akerman smiles a lot as the cute hometown ex-flame, Michael Nouri sits behind a desk.

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) terrorizes her publishing house co-workers with her abrasive, take-no-prisoners management style, especially her overworked assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). But when Margaret is threatened with deportation to her native Canada because of an immigration technicality, the quick-thinking exec announces that she and Andrew are engaged to be married. Ambitious Andrew agrees to go along with her scheme—if there’s a long-awaited promotion in it for him. Everything is going according to Margaret’s plan, until an overzealous immigration official makes it his business to prove that the couple’s engagement is bogus. To demonstrate her commitment to her new fiancé, Margaret agrees to celebrate the 90th birthday of his colorful grandmother (Betty White) — in Alaska. The editrix’s type-A ways put her at odds with her eccentric future in-laws with hilarious consequences, until the Paxtons teach Margaret a thing or two about family. Sandra Bullock is as funny and enjoyable as ever. She brings a lot to all of her movies. She is funny, beautiful and puts her all in what she does. Great, Great movie. To Funny. Betty White as always hysterical. Ryan Reynolds Charming, and really funny.
On a rating of 1 - 10, 10 being an excellent buy I would easily give this DVD an easy 10!

Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality and many more) stars with Ryan Reynolds (Definitely, Maybe + More).

Bullock is Margaret, the hard nosed editor at a book publishing house and Reynolds is Andrew, her executive assistant (actually her 24 hour get me what I want man).

When Margaret is threatened with deportation back to her home country of Canada she concocts a scheme to get married to Andrew so she can stay in the US and save her job. To get andrew to agree to this, she threatens him (actually blackmails is a better word) and finally he agrees to go along with it.

The plot unfolds from there as the young couple head off to Alaska to meet Andrews parents and celebrate his grandmothers 90th birthday.

And here we have the best part of the entire movie. Grandma is played by Betty White (who actually will be celebrating her 90th birthday in 2012). Ms White is one the television and motion picture Icons who lights up any screen she appears on and she does not hold anything back in this movie. It is worth the price of this DVD just to see her performance.

Also starring in this movie are: Malin Akerman, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Oscar Nuñez and Aasif Mandvi

The movie is VERY predictable but it was also VERY funny and Betty White was great. So get this one and have a good laugh.

Rated PG13 for some brief semi nudity and sexual humor.

When she learns that she's in danger of losing her visa status and being deported back to her native Canada, overbearing book editor Margaret Tate forces her put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton to marry her. Directed by Anne Fletcher, this romantic comedy also stars Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen as Andrew's parents, Joe and Grace, and Betty White as the outspoken Grandma Annie.

Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, Craig T. Nelson

The Proposal features a stellar cast, including Sandra Bullock, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson and Betty White. However, Ryan Reynolds is a revelation in this very unique romantic comedy. His "deer in the headlights" reaction to suddenly finding himself betrothed to his high-strung Canadian boss (Sandra Bullock) in order to save her from immediate deportation is priceless. Betty White is hysterical as Reynolds' prickly, no-nonsense grandmother.