On a flight between Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario, I had the pleasure of watching The Proposal.
Sandra Bullock plays a hot shot editor with an attitude and her executive assistant is played by Ryan Reynolds. Sandra Bullock’s reputation around the office is less to be desired. The stage is set by employees straightening up their act as she walks in the room, and sending instant messages to each other warning each other of her arrival.
Her relationship with Ryan Reynolds is definitely one of disrespect and self-centeredness. As her boss informs her of her deportation back to Canada, she takes the liberty to announce to her boss that her and her assistant are getting married. The first her assistant hears of it, is while sitting in the same meeting.
The customs officer is suspicious to say the least and because to put procedures in place to put them through the paces. This process starts with interviewing them separately to ask them questions about each other, to ensure that they are actually in a relationship. Further, they interview family and friends. Their interview process starts on Monday and on Friday, they leave on a family vacation to meet Ryan’s family.
Much like most romantic comedies, this movie is filled with humor, coupled with those touching moments. The couple starts out by trying to embarrass and sabotage the other one through this family meeting, and of course, by the end, they are operating more from a place of caring, understanding and compassion.
The only part that I did not like about the movie, was how they claimed to be in love by the end of it. With the way the story unfolded, it seems far fetched, as many of these romantic comedies are.
Another part that was a little bit annoying was the role of the grandma. The grandma was played by Betty White (from the Golden Girls). Her character was quite eccentric (as many of White’s roles are). I usually enjoy her roles, but she was a little too much to take with her attempts to fake a heart attack, and another scene where she was chanting to the universe with Bullock around a bonfire in the woods.
However, from every other respect, the movie delivered what a romantic comedy promises. There were lots of laughs and a few touching moments that pulled on the heart strings.
With the exception of the cheesy ending where they claim to be in love, and start going through the customs process to keep Bullock in the country, the rest was all aces.
