The Proposal

The Proposal was pretty much a sure thing for me, going in, as I love a good romantic comedy, and I LOVE Sandra Bullock. I really could have given it the thumbs up before seeing it…I was that sure that I’d love it. And, I was right. Money well spent. I’d see it again, if someone wanted to go.

Many romantic comedies begin with a man and a woman who despise each other…and then end with them falling in love. As this movie begins, though, I can’t say that Margaret, (Sandra Bullock) hates Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) as much as she simply doesn’t care for him at all. Does Andrew hate Margaret? Oh, you bet. At least…he’d like everyone to think that he does.

Margaret is the editor-in-chief at a New York Publishing office, and Andrew is her assistant, who aspires to be an editor himself. It is these aspirations that motivate Andrew to put up with Margaret, who is known throughout the office as “The Witch,” and who seems to hold all of her employees with little to no regard. In an effort to get an eventual “leg-up,” however, Andrew does all of Margaret’s bidding, and works his hardest to keep her happy…even to the point of ordering, for himself, the same kind of coffee that she drinks, in case he spills one.

On the day that the movie opens, Margaret finds out that, as a citizen of Canada, her visa has been denied, and, in a split second decision to avoid deportation, tells her bosses that she and Andrew are getting married. Under the threat that his career will be destroyed if he doesn’t play along, Andrew agrees to the arrangement...but only after making a few demands of his own.

In an effort to convince everyone that their marriage will be legit, rather than the fraud that will get her deported, and him thrown in jail, Margaret and Andrew travel to Sitka, Alaska, to announce their engagement to his family. The majority of the film takes place here, in Sitka, and I won’t go into many more details…because if you know romantic comedy, you can anticipate what might happen…but you’ll enjoy seeing it for yourself anyway. Instead, I will list some of the things I really liked about the movie.

***Sandra Bullock. As I said...I love her. She's cute...she's funny...and I've yet to see her in anything that I didn't enjoy.

***Ryan Reynolds. Usually...I'm on the fence about this guy. Sometimes he's a little too smarmy for me. But, I liked him here, and in Wolverine...so maybe he's growing on me.

***Betty White. As a long time Golden Girls fan...I can't not love Betty White.

***Sitka, Alaska. Seriously...movies like this make me want to move to towns like Sitka. And live in huge houses that look out onto the water, like the one that Andrew's parents live in. And drive boats instead of cars. Small towns...especially in movies, where everyone knows everyone else, and they all hang out together, and the sense of community is so thick you could cut it with a knife...really appeal to me sometimes. I found out today that the movie was filmed, not in Alaska, but primarily in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Dang it. Not that I couldn't love Massachusetts or Rhode Island. But loving Sitka seemed cooler to me.

***The little white dog. It's just too cute. Really. I wanted to take it home with me.

Overall, as I said, I really liked the movie. It was just what I expected it to be...it worked in every way...and if you like romantic comedies, I think you'll like it, too. :)