The Proposal (Touchstone Pictures)
Reynolds + Bullock Perfect Chemistry
Never underestimate the power of good chemistry on the silver screen. If it is there it can make a bad movie good, if it isnt it can make a good movie bad. In the case of Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in The Proposal it makes a good movie even better.
Margaret Tate (Bullock) is a Book Editor at a prestigious publishing company in New York. Andrew Paxton (Reynolds) is her Administrative Assistant. He spends his time making her look good and she spends her time making his life miserable. So imagine how he feels when suddenly she needs his help BIG TIME!
Margaret is a Canadian citizen in the US on a work visa. It is expiring and she is being deported. To solve the problem she announces she and Andrew are getting married. She then blackmails him into going along with this farce. But she also has to go along on a weekend visit to celebrate his Grandmother Annies (Betty White) ninetieth birthday celebration in his hometown in Alaska.
There the happy couple spends time with Mom and Dad Paxton (Mary Steenburgen and Craig T Nelson) as well as Grammy Annie. This is where the chemistry goes into overdrive and the movie becomes a lot of fun.
This is Bullocks best movie since Miss Congeniality, and we all know what a TV staple that one has become. Bullock shows expert comedic timing, and also looks great clothed or naked as in one hilarious scene.
Reynolds is a few years younger than Bullock but that fact is never mentioned directly in the movie. He is a handsome actor and matches Bullocks comic timing and great shape. The two of them spar with gusto and hurl the repartee with enthusiasm.
Rounding out the movie is the beloved Betty White. She steals, or gives a good old college try, to every scene in which she appears. She is a little raunchy and entirely loveable. She is the seasoning for this funny film.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity, brief nudity and sexual situations.
The Proposal is a chick flick guys can enjoy. It has enough laugh out loud moments to keep any crowd happy. Plus the emotional scenes are not drawn out but are always quickly followed with a sharp joke sequence.
So go see The Proposal and see why Sandra Bullock has been such a major star for so many years. She is one of a kind. Plus she has the perfect co-star in the affable and handsome Reynolds. Together they do light up the screen.
I scored The Proposal a down on one knee 7 out of 10.
