I’ve heard it said that the 18-35 year old male is the key demographic for summer movies. I’ll admit I happen to fall under that same age-group expected to shell out their much coveted cash in order to get lost in two hours of on-screen explosions and high-flying car crashes. I would like to think that my disdain for the latest romantic comedy The Proposal however has much more to do with my love for cinema than what the statistics say I should be drawn to. Having said that, you must know that, yes I am a male, I am married, and as a matter of fact I have enjoyed some romantic comedies in the past. I tried, oh how I tried to like The Proposal. There comes a point though, when as the saying goes, familiarity does breed something much closer to contempt than a good time at the movies.
The basics of the plot are as follows. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) plays a high profile book editor for an influential New-York based publishing company. She has rightfully earned her secret nickname around the office “the witch”, firing employees as if it were a bodily function. Ms. Tate also happens to be a Canadian whose work visa has been recently denied. This poses a problem for Margaret because unless she thinks of a quick plan she will be deported. Enter Margaret’s unsuspecting office assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) whom Margaret unwittingly blackmails into becoming her fiancé in order to retain her citizenship. The whole scheme takes a romantic-comedy turn for the worse when the couple visits Andrew’s family in Alaska for a weekend birthday celebration of Andrew’s 90 year-old grandmother (Betty White).
Really the first 20 minutes of this film are just a quick way to get to the scenes on the island in which the age-old romantic comedy themes are inserted into the plot one by one. Believe me this film has them all. It’s not that there’s a lot wrong with this movie, it’s just that there’s not a lot it does right either. Reynolds and Bullock display great on-screen chemistry together that is wasted with several pro-longed scenes some of which can only best be described as “geriatric” slapstick. (I’m talking to you Betty White). There’s also that curious scene with the little dog that no one is supposed to let outside because “the eagles might snatch him up” . I bet you can already guess fido’s fate, and which out-of-towner is the first to let him outside. Scenes like these are unfortunate even though some of them were amusing and seem to be the film’s biggest problem. It relies so heavily on formula, that the characters and their performances are drowned out about half way through. By that time I didn’t much les care whether or not Andrew caught Margaret at the airport (yes add the airport chase to the list of clichés this movie holds) because I honestly wasn’t that invested.
There is a demographic out there for The Proposal even if Hollywood says I’m not it. So if you’re dying for some formulaic light-heartedness with your date, rush to the theater to see this one. As for me, my quest for another good romantic comedy continues. My wife tells me I should try How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days tonight. It’s going to be a long day.
2.5/5
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