The Proposal Review

The Proposal
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds

Sandra Bullock is like one of those rappers who say they're forever retired from rap, but suddenly return after a little while. But in Bullock's case, her "retirement" came in the form of branching out to other genres that don't have the words "romantic" or "comedy" in it. While Crash was a huge success for her, her next few movies were plagued with abysmal reviews and returns, so the logical next step for her must be to return to her forte, and boy does she make a big impression in this comeback.

Set in yet another publishing company, The Proposal features Sandra Bullock playing a boss-from-hell type of character- a first in her career- named Margaret. Ryan Reynolds in turn plays the lowly assistant Andrew who really, really hates his boss. There are traces of Devil Wears Prada in this premise, and if you thought the same I don't blame you. Then again, the secretary here is a guy who is far from middle-class and not at all in need of a makeover, so really, the similarities between the two movies can only go so far.

The foundation of this movie really lies in the social issue of immigration. The movie probably wants to put a bit of social commentary so it can be relevant, but the topic takes a backseat to the shenanigans that occur between its lead characters. Normally, this is a bit of a bad thing, but the charisma and chemistry that exists between Bullock and Reynolds is so powerful, you ignore that fact and just get sucked into what would've been, if other actors were to be cast, a big fat cliche.

The discourse between these two characters, especially in the beginning, is very entertaining to watch. In fact, it makes you notice how weirdly witty some of the writing is. I mean, the two nail their roles ever so nicely, and the special appearance of legend Betty White enhances this. Still, you shouldn't even use Betty White like that! Seriously, a ninety year old grandma role? Betty White? Preposterous.

The first half is quite amusing, and takes advantage of each characters' personalities with admittedly hilarious situations, but all this is gone after Bullock's character Margaret starts rapping to a traditional chant. It's funny, but it dragged on for a tad bit too long.

The last half is pretty much the same rom-com trappings. Hell, Bullock pulls of another While You Were Sleeping in this movie's climactic wedding scene, and the edge it had got lost in the shuffle.

You've actually watched this movie before, you'll be able to predict a lot of the stuff that will happen next, but the thing that still makes this movie better than the average rom-com is pretty much the thing that I've been rambling on for 2 paragraphs: the actors. Just that makes this movie worth a screening with a date, or maybe even a DVD purchase. Bullock makes a big impression here, and the momentum would've been maintained if it weren't for another Bullock rom-com that just came out more recently.

Bottom line, I was entertained. Not amazing, not great, just pretty good.

Rating: 7/10