If different film genres were all made into cookie cutters, there would be a good argument to decide which film genre cookie cutter would get sold the most. There is probably no question, though, that the romantic comedy variety would get copied more times than any other and there would be a large inventory. Then, all directors and writers have to do is mix up the female and male lead roles, put them in a new setting, and then pull out that cookie cutter to make the rest of their film. That being said, movie fans still absolutely love “romantic comedy” cookies despite that fact that most are exactly the same inside. The latest “cookie” from that film genre to hit theaters and now on home video is The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
In The Proposal, Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is one of the shrewdest and most respect publishing managing editors in New York. Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) has been her personal assistant for over three years and puts up with her incessant demands and lack of appreciation because he aspires to be her one day. Things change dramatically when Margaret, a Canadian, is informed she has to leave the country because of an expired Visa. Reluctant to leave the US, and her position of power, Margaret hatches a plan to marry Andrew. He is obviously not enthused at first, but Margaret plays off his ambition. Threatened with the possibility of legal action by an over-aggressive immigration agent, Margaret and Andrew must be on top of their game as a couple to avoid fraud charges, as well as Margaret’s deportation. They fly to Alaska to meet Andrew’s family, which is headlined by his parents (Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen) and a zany grandmother (Betty White).
You have to give this film some credit: the premise is somewhat unique. How many times have you heard of a Canadian being deported before this film? Likely not many, unless you are from Canada or have family there. Also, the reversal of roles between the two main characters was also a nice touch. It’s not every day that we see a male in the submissive role in the boss/assistant relationship in a film. But that is where the credit stops as far as the writing is concerned. Everything else about this film is predictable. You might be surprised to know that you could fit in so many “romantic comedy” cliches in a less than two hour film, but each and every one of them seems to be in there somewhere.
The acting is able to overcome the writing for most part, though. Ryan Reynolds is the star of this film, leaving Sandra Bullock – in full Cruella Du Vil mode – to be only decent. Though, they do have good chemistry together, but it’s still a little too hard to believe these two characters could fall in love at the end of the film thanks to how they treat each other at the beginning. In addition, the strong supporting cast of Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson, Betty White often bring the most comedy relief to the film. The other jokes were all given away in the trailers for the film. One supporting character that is not that funny, though, is The Office‘s Oscar Nunez. He simply tries too hard to make you laugh.
Romantic comedies live or die on the chemistry between the lead stars, and that’s certainly true for The Proposal. Ryan Reynolds shows a new side of his acting skills in this film, and is able to carry Sandra Bullock along with him. Together they form a good duo that is able to rise above the subpar writing and make The Proposal watchable. You don’t really need to watch the film to know what happens, though. You can predict every move in this film, but it’s somewhat interesting to watch this film and point out all the romantic comedy cliches that come at you in a breakneck pace. So unless that interests you, this one is strictly for fans of Reynolds, Bullock, and romantic comedies in general.
The video is presented in 1080p/AVC at the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs. The audio included is available in either English Dolby 5.1 DTS-HD Surround sound, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround sound, or English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French as well.
Blu-Ray Exclusives
Deleted Scene –
The only exclusive on the Blu-ray disc is an extra deleted scene. I believe this is the extended take with actress Malin Akerman that fills in her entire reason to be in the film.
Found on the Standard Special Edition As Well…
Audio Commentary –
There is a full-length audio commentary with the director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli. Not really that entertaining and not quite as insightful as you would like either. Probably for fans only, or if you want to hear them defend the romantic comedy cliches that are throughout this film.
Deleted Scenes –
The other two deleted scenes that aren’t exclusive to Blu-ray. These didn’t make the final cut of the film for a reason. There is really nothing “must-watch”, but a few these could have been left in to make things more sense. Fletcher and Chiarelli give you optional commentary on why these scenes were cut.
Alternate Ending –
This is a 7 minute ending to the film. This ending is more silly, so they went with the best one in the film. Again, Fletcher and Chiarelli tell you about it.
“Set Antics: Outtakes and Other Absurdities From The Proposal” –
This is 7 minutes worth of the usual “outtakes” from filming this film. Somewhat funny.
Fans of the romantic comedy or Ryan Reynolds or Sandra Bullock will probably enjoy this film enough to at least rent it. But you likely won’t win over any non-romantic comedy fans witht this film.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents The Proposal. Directed by Anne Fletcher. Written by Peter Chiarelli. Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O’Hare, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nuñez, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Nouri, Gregg Edelman, Michael Mosley. Running time: 108 minutes. Rated PG-13. Released on DVD: October 16, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
