Movie, The Proposal

Today, after a morning of planting in the yard, Roy and I went to the afternoon viewing of Sandra Bullock’s new movie, The Proposal.  I have to say, right up front, I really expected to love this movie.  I always love Sandra Bullock movies.  Even when The Lakehouse and Premonition were hailed as “stinkers” by the critics, I didn’t understand why, because I adored both of them and later bought the DVDs.  This one, The Proposal, well, I just didn’t. 

The Synopsis:  When high-powered book editor Margaret Tate (Bullock) faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she’s actually engaged to her unsuspecting assistant Andrew (Reynolds), who she’s tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.

Roy referred to the film as a watered-down The Devil Wears Prada meets While You Were Sleeping.

I still can’t place exactly what went wrong.  It was one of those movies where you leave saying, “What a shame.  It could have been so good.”  Was it edited badly?  Did they not rehearse enough and tried to push the film into production before it was polished?

There wasn’t enough time allowed to show the bad side of Bullock’s character, all the big and little reasons why the office staff hated her before the sham engagement began.  Bullock should have played it up, made the character more of a terror.  For a despised, feared boss that made the staff message each other with “the witch is on her broom”, she still had those likeable characteristics Bullock is known for.  Since I didn’t believe her as “the bad guy”, the transformation to someone the Ryan Reynolds character just might want to marry didn’t work.

Every joke seems to be right on the edge of being funny and then misses the target.  Maybe a better soundtrack would have helped?  I don’t know.  “It” just wasn’t there.

Am I sorry we paid money to see it?  Well, no …. it was matinee price and it was still a Sandra Bullock film. (did I mention I really love her movies?)  If anything, it was worth the price of admission to see Ryan Reynolds without a stitch of clothing.