Movie Review: The Proposal

There are some actors in Hollywood who can make movie good just by being cast in it. It is these kind of actors who can provide a real charm to any scene at any time and if the rest of the movie is poorly put together it won't matter to most people because that one actor was terrific. Now imagine if a movie had two of those actors in the same cast, playing opposite of each other?

What you would get would be The Proposal, from Touchstone Pictures. The romantic comedy written by Pete Chiarelli (producer for the Terry Tate series of commercials for Reebok) and directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up) stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Both lead actors have demonstrated their own appealing characteristics in previous films and today they were as genuine as you could imagine, which translates to great on-screen chemistry.

Bullock stars as a tough-as-nails editor for a publishing company and learns that her job will soon be in jeopardy as her work visa application was denied, which would force the Canadian back home to her home land. On a whim she tries to convince her boss that she is engaged to her assistant, played by Reynolds. Under the impression that if his boss were to be deported to Canada than he would be out of a job, Reynolds plays along.

Convincing the United States immigration officer in New York was just the first test. Trying to play off the engagement as genuine to Reynolds' family on a trip to their home in Alaska would be the other, which would prove to be more difficult than it would seem.

The plot is not exactly the most unique and some of the scenes are at times foreseeable, but the story is well written and the humorous scenes are plentiful. Even guys will enjoy this date movie. The supporting cast is incredible with Craig T. Nelson playing the role of the not-so-supportive father who wants his son to come home, Mary Steenburgen playing the role of the loving mother, and Betty White playing the role of the eccentric grandmother.

The Proposal gets a seal of approval from me, so take that for what it is worth. It is a movie that most everyone will enjoy for its plot, cast, and humor.

Movie Info
The Proposal from Touchstone Pictures
Director: Anne Fletcher
Writer: Pete Chiarelli
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 108 minutes

Score of 1 to 10: 7.3