"The Proposal", the best romantic comedy of 2009
Stephen Walker
Issue date: 7/1/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Sandra Bullock is back and hotter than ever! Audiences have come out in unanticipated amounts to see the Proposal. Over its debut weekend the film took the number one spot in ticket sales placing at $34.1 million. The Proposal is Bullock's (Speed, Miss Congeniality) first romantic comedy in four years and oh how happy I am that she is back in the game.
Bullock plays Margaret Tate an executive editor at a publishing company in New York City. Tate is upright, pushy and a witch of a boss that everyone fears and hates. When she walks into the room, everyone gets back to work and sends amusing instant messages like "the witch is on her broom."
The conflict comes up when Tate, a Canadian native is threatened with deportation. Margaret has a problem and she finds her solution in Andrew. Tate does some on-the-spot, quick thinking and blackmails her tormented assistant Andrew Paxton played by Ryan Reynolds (Definitely, Maybe, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) into agreeing to marry her. Paxton reluctantly agrees to participate in the whole charade if, in exchange, she does some things for him. In order to prove to the immigration office that their marriage is legit, they go up to his parents place in Alaska.
Alaska is where the fun begins. Tate the always-in-control stern city girl is thrown into a city-girl-meets-outback situation resulting in comedic scene after scene as she tries to cope with the oddity of her predicament.
In Alaska, the unrealistic couple meets Andrew's wealthy and strange family: Mrs. Paxton (Mary Steenburgen), Mr. Paxton (Craig T. Nelson) and Grandma Annie (Betty White.) The dynamic duo has to persuade his family that their relationship is real, causing bouts of physical comedic tension between the two. The two also have to spend the weekend learning as much about each other as possible due to an immigration official on their trial trying to bust them.
After their announcement that they are engaged, the extended family, shocked that the two extremely different people are getting married, request to hear how the couple met. Ryan and Bullock then embark on a battle of the wills in the most amusing fashion ever. This scene is brilliantly constructed and executed with precision and is hilariously creative. The film is much better than a common battle of the ex's movie. It is a battle of the soon-to-be married which is downright hysterical.
Grandma Annie delivers some laughs in the movie as the brilliantly, spunky grandma who uses whatever resources she can to get things to go her way. I would even venture to mention she creates the film's biggest laughs. She has the audience laughing at her every move, from her chanting rituals to her quirky sense of humor about death. She is my favorite character from the film and should get some approving nods from the film industry.
Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock have amazing chemistry and perfect timing. They blend the perfect amount of sexy bantering and constant battle of the wills. It is impossible for you to not like them together on screen. There are many genuine moments of physical comedy that had the audience laughing so hard there were tears in many eyes. Personally, I couldn't stop laughing the entire movie. This is unquestionably the best romantic comedy of 2009 so far!
Bullock plays Margaret Tate an executive editor at a publishing company in New York City. Tate is upright, pushy and a witch of a boss that everyone fears and hates. When she walks into the room, everyone gets back to work and sends amusing instant messages like "the witch is on her broom."
The conflict comes up when Tate, a Canadian native is threatened with deportation. Margaret has a problem and she finds her solution in Andrew. Tate does some on-the-spot, quick thinking and blackmails her tormented assistant Andrew Paxton played by Ryan Reynolds (Definitely, Maybe, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) into agreeing to marry her. Paxton reluctantly agrees to participate in the whole charade if, in exchange, she does some things for him. In order to prove to the immigration office that their marriage is legit, they go up to his parents place in Alaska.
Alaska is where the fun begins. Tate the always-in-control stern city girl is thrown into a city-girl-meets-outback situation resulting in comedic scene after scene as she tries to cope with the oddity of her predicament.
In Alaska, the unrealistic couple meets Andrew's wealthy and strange family: Mrs. Paxton (Mary Steenburgen), Mr. Paxton (Craig T. Nelson) and Grandma Annie (Betty White.) The dynamic duo has to persuade his family that their relationship is real, causing bouts of physical comedic tension between the two. The two also have to spend the weekend learning as much about each other as possible due to an immigration official on their trial trying to bust them.
After their announcement that they are engaged, the extended family, shocked that the two extremely different people are getting married, request to hear how the couple met. Ryan and Bullock then embark on a battle of the wills in the most amusing fashion ever. This scene is brilliantly constructed and executed with precision and is hilariously creative. The film is much better than a common battle of the ex's movie. It is a battle of the soon-to-be married which is downright hysterical.
Grandma Annie delivers some laughs in the movie as the brilliantly, spunky grandma who uses whatever resources she can to get things to go her way. I would even venture to mention she creates the film's biggest laughs. She has the audience laughing at her every move, from her chanting rituals to her quirky sense of humor about death. She is my favorite character from the film and should get some approving nods from the film industry.
Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock have amazing chemistry and perfect timing. They blend the perfect amount of sexy bantering and constant battle of the wills. It is impossible for you to not like them together on screen. There are many genuine moments of physical comedy that had the audience laughing so hard there were tears in many eyes. Personally, I couldn't stop laughing the entire movie. This is unquestionably the best romantic comedy of 2009 so far!
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