‘The Proposal’: Only half-bad
It’s been so long since Sandra Bullock has starred in a memorable movie that, while watching “The Proposal,” it’s a little surprising to remember just where she started – which was in light romantic comedies (and as a spunky “Speed” sidekick). As the saying went at the time, Julia Roberts’ mid-90s hiatus was the true beginning of Bullock’s career.
Teaming her with Ryan Reynolds seems like a winning proposition. He’s a verbal ju-jitsu master for the kind of snide, withering remarks that Bullock specializes in in “The Proposal.” Reynolds has been the best thing about a number of lesser movies; he’s an undersung comic actor with great chops who just needs a Judd Apatow to build a movie around him. (Greg Mottola gave him one of his best recent roles in this year’s “Adventureland.”)
Still, I went into “The Proposal” prepared for the worst – and came out pleasantly surprised. It sounds like a faint recommendation, but trust me when I say that calling it “not terrible” is high praise indeed.
That doesn’t mean it’s a movie you should run out and see because you’ll be rapturously entertained. It means that, when your girlfriend or wife drags you off to see it, it won’t be nearly the torture you expect.
Not that director Anne Fletcher is any great shakes, though this movie is a considerable improvement over Fletcher’s last, “27 Dresses.” At heart, this is the kind of formula comedy that could just as easily star Heather Graham and John Stamos on the Lifetime Movie Channel.
Bullock is Margaret Tate, a high-powered bitch queen of the New York publishing world. When she sets foot in the office, the instant-message system buzzes with warnings of her approach. The only one who seems able to handle her is her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), who has spent three years anticipating her every whim in hopes that she will eventually make him an editor.
It’s a seemingly impossible dream – until Margaret’s bosses tell her that, as a Canadian, she’s overstayed her visa and is about to be deported by the U.S. government. She announces that she’s already resolved her status, because she and Andrew are, in fact, secretly planning to be married.
The immigration agent (Denis O’Hare) assigned to her case isn’t buying it for a minute. He tries to scare Andrew out of the ruse by threatening prison; instead, Andrew announces that Margaret is accompanying him home to visit his parents for his grandmother’s 90th birthday.
Which happens to be a small town in Alaska – but a town that the Paxton family kind of rules. So Margaret is the fish out of water – the sophisticated New Yorker looking down her nose at these frontier types, even as she repeatedly deals with embarrassing situations of her own. “Northern Exposure,” anyone?
OK, the wholly expected, surprise-naked encounter between Bullock and Reynolds in the bathroom is funny. The script’s slapstick offers most of the film’s laughs. The best involve Bullock trying to maintain her dignity, even as she cowers at the onslaught of a fuzzy puppy or deals with some other bit of humiliation.
There are a lot of randy-grandma jokes, which are now Betty White’s stock in trade. Otherwise, Fletcher finds little to lighten the roles of Andrew’s parents, played stiffly by Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson.
Like I said, not terrible. I can’t believe, however, that they never reached for a Sarah Palin joke.
