The Proposal
Last night I attended a “Guys Night Out” media screening of the new Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock movie The Proposal. It was hosted by the Golden Girl’s very own Betty White. She showed up just before the reel started to introduce the movie and thank the room, of mostly all-male assistants, for their hardwork and dedication.
First, the movie. Like every movie these days about highly successful, intimidating, powerful individuals, it is set in Nueva York. And like every movie about highly successful, intimidating, powerful individuals, The Proposal steals a page from the Devil Wears Prada, and makes Sandra Bullock, who plays Margaret Tate, a highly feared publishing editor.
Ryan Reynolds plays her hairless cat of an assistant Andrew “Drew” Paxton who has aspirations of getting his manuscript published and eventually move up the ranks to become an editor.
From the beginning, the movie sets out to establish Margaret as the shot-calling “witch” that everyone fears most in the office. She waltz is in with her high stillettos, tight pony tail and well tailored attire. Her first order of business is firing an editor and chewing him out in front of the office when he refuses to go out quietly. Meanwhile, our introduction to Andrew as a frantic assistant is one in which he fetches Margarets cinnamon spiced latte each morning (“it’s like christmas in a cup”).
The story is a nod to the absurd goings on in our world today whereby people marry people for a visa. Margaret is Canadian and her visa is expired. She cannot afford to leave the country for a year and cannot work for a U.S. company from Canada, so logically it follows that she would blackmail her assistant to marry her otherwise he’s out of a job and the last 3 years working for Margaret would count for nothing. And, as naturally as any of us would accept an illegal proposition and face jail time and a heft fine, Andrew agrees to go with the ploy to get her a visa.
Per the usual romantic comedy comes the witty banter, that moment of enlightenment where both people realize that the other isn’t really as bad as they made eachother out to be in their heads and then of course the “I love you” kiss in the end.
The disconnect for me was trying to convince myself that a romance between Sandra Bullock, 45, and Ryan Reynolds, 33, could actually be something sexy and exciting to watch. All I kept thinking was, “Wow Sandra, you really look great, but you are oooooolllllld.” The role would have been great for you 10 years ago, but at some point it stops being cute watching you fumble with your giant hand bags, toss back your heavily hair sprayed hair and pout your lips. It starts looking like those desperate Real Housewive Cougars.
Yes, it’s a movie. And, yes, it is a new way to get two otherwise unmatched individuals to realize that if you are forced into a situation, you’re going to fall in love! Of course you will! Of course you can base the rest of your life and relationship on the presumption that being locked away for a weekend will mean a life of blissful happiness! Because when you’re confined to a weekend in Sitka, Alaska and you’re forced to pretend you actually might care about eachother, you will start to actually care about eachother and the relationship will thrive off of your unknowing admiration for one another. If that’s the case, I must have fallen in and out of love a million times by now.
The Proposal offers nothing new to the movie industry’s idea that love can be had when you manipulate someone, mold them like play dough and make them out to be exactly what you want them to be. It’s a tired story told over and over again with a tired leading lady that has worn out her welcome as the cute fumbling protagonist saved by the strapping young actor. It’s embarrassing to watch a woman sing Lil John’s - Get Low and smack her ass like a college freshman who got drunk in her dorm room off shots of popov vodka from wax dixie cups and is living rebelliously by finally getting into an all ages night club. I know you know who I’m talking about.
The movie had its funny bits and pieces, most notably Ryan Reynolds impeccable ability to deliver a line so dryly and with the right amount of sarcasm so as to not come off as smug or sassy. But it will never live up to the brilliance that is Just Friends. At its best, it is a romantic comedy that can be shelved along side every Matthew McConaughey movie. Save yourself the $12.50 and add it to your netflix queue.
