The Proposal (2009)

This is not the type of movie I would normally watch, to be honest. I am not a fan of Sandra Bullock, especially since she got all the elective surgeries and she looks like a plastic mannequin now. I do however like Ryan Reynolds, which is why I watched this film. Well, that and my mother begging me to watch it. All that being said, this movie was very good. It had heart, humor and character development which is one of my favorite things to see in a film. The story was entertaining and well written all the way through, minus maybe one scene.

The Proposal (2009) was directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock, Betty White, Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen. A high powered book editor named Margaret Tate (Bullock) is being threatened to be deported back to Canada due to an expired work visa. She blackmails her assistant Andrew (Reynolds) into pretending to be engaged so she won’t be deported. The sham engagement causes them to wind up in Alaska, visiting Andrew’s family for the weekend where they must continue to act as though they are in love and engaged.

I deeply enjoy movies with character growth, if done right. It can’t be a huge personality change from one scene to the next. It has to be a gradual change to make it more realistic and interesting to me. This played out very well with Bullock’s character, Margaret. At the beginning of the story she appears quite heartless and shows no emotion towards the people who work for her, giving her a “witch” reputation. Throughout the course of the movie, however, her transformation is quite apparent as she remembers what it is like to have family and be loved.

I also want to give a mention to the great Oscar Nunez. He is hilarious in this movie and he is great in one of my favorite TV shows, The Office. I didn’t expect to see him in this film and it was a treat.

I do have one small critique. What was that scene with Betty White and Sandra Bullock dancing around in the woods? It was weird and unnecessary.

This film is a lot of fun and packed with warmth and humor. Even for the guys that stay away from romantic comedies (like myself), you will enjoy this movie. Even if you don’t care for Sandra Bullock, she does a great job.

• This film had a budget of 40 million dollars and the worldwide gross is 317.3 million dollars.
• This film was produced by Touchstone Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
• This film was shot in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and California.
• In the film, Sandra Bullock is a Canadian and Ryan Reynolds is from the U.S. in real life, Reynolds is Canadian and Bullock is from the U.S.
• Julia Roberts was the first choice to play Margaret but reportedly refused to take a pay cut, so Sandra Bullock took over the role. This was the second movie in the same year in which Roberts was offered a leading role and turned it down, with the role going to Bullock. The other movie was The Blind Side, which won Bullock a Best Actress Oscar.
• Betty White almost turned down her role in the film because filming would require her to spend ten weeks away from her golden retriever.
• The puppy named Kevin is played by four American Eskimo puppies named Flurry, Sitka, Nanu and Winter.
• Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds had been friends for nine years before shooting this movie.