The Proposal [12A]

Back in '95, Sandra Bullock wowed us at a wedding in the winsome romcom While You Were Sleeping, a well-crafted, career-making movie that she’s been trying to live up to – or depart from – ever since. The Proposal’s less memorable, more disposable. But it’s a polished piece of work, proving once again that Bullock is the best comedienne in cinema.

High-flying publishing executive Bullock is a bitchy boss who strikes fear and loathing in her staff. Her put-upon male assistant (Ryan Reynolds, Definitely Maybe) grins and bears it, hoping to make a career in the literary world. But when his Canadian-born boss finds out her visa’s expired, her future in the USA is in the balance – unless she can marry an American, pronto. So Bullock proposes: marry me or blow your dreams.

With a reluctant Reynolds agreeing to fabricate a romance, and suspicious immigration officials on their tail, it’s off to Alaska to visit his folks for a weekend of fish-out-of-water fighting, falling-into-water pratfalls and falling-in-love. It’s a romcom but the odd-couple tone keeps it nicely unpredictable.

Bullock’s a blast. Her boss-from-hell isn’t the icy-cold tundra of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada – it’s broader than that. But look closely. Bullock’s consummate comedy-playing is a joy. Never afraid to play down her star status, her comic touches are nuanced, relying as much on visual tics and tones of voice as on the slapstick scenes she does so well (Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks’ Notice) .

Ryan Reynolds more than holds his own – so to speak – and never more so than in the accidental nude scene where both he and Bullock think they’ve got the bedroom to themselves. Bullock’s never done nude and it’s typical of her self-deprecating career that she does it here for laughs, in a ‘12A’ kind of way.

The Proposal is a 21st century spin on an old formula - It Happened One Night with erection-jokes. But the fast-paced pizzazz of the opening thirty minutes loses pace when we get to Alaska. Familiarity takes over from originality. Quirky family-weekends in the backwoods have been recently done (Dan in Real Life) – and the irritating-dog-gets-its-comeuppance is almost a mini-genre itself (There’s Something About Mary, Easy Virtue).

What The Proposal has is Sandra Bullock, a comedienne at the peak of her comedy game. Ryan Reynolds is great as her straight-man. But this is Bullock’s film and it takes us to places her other movies haven’t reached. While we get the speech-to-the-crowd that Sandra’s done in While You Were Sleeping and Miss Congeniality, there’s a brassiness and vulnerability that’s genuinely appealing.

The proposal? A film too uneven to be classy - but with two highly polished performers baring their all in every sense.

Glenn Watson (DI Reviewer), 26/07/09

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Well, this is rather fun. Instead of La Bullock presenting her familiar brand of winsome and adorable, she charges in as a first-rate, grade-A, big-city bitch and we have the enormous pleasure of watching her cope with an extended visit to her 'fiance's' family in rural Alaska, which causes her to reveal her true self in more ways than one. Very bravely, 45-year old Bullock appears starkers in a scene with her 32 year old co-star, the scrumptious Ryan Reynolds, and is as ever prepared to be on the receiving end of some very physical humour. She also dares to reveal a likeable, vulnerable person under the ball-breaking virago, and credibly evokes the growth of love and a conscience. Sharp writing and outstanding comic acting raise this way above the routine run of rom-coms - highly recommended.

Andrea Hopkins (DI Reviewer), 10/08/09

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Interview with Ryan Reynolds: Daily Info reviewer Glenn Watson catches up with up-and-coming star Ryan Reynolds – Sandra Bullock’s reluctant groom-to-be in the quirky new romcom The Proposal. Ryan kiss-and-tells about working with Sandra and why he loves British comedy.


The Proposal’s evocative of the comedies from Hollywood’s golden age. Are you a fan of those movies?
I love them – especially the Tracy-Hepburn stuff. When you watch them, you really see the evolution of the genre. In this movie, though, I think I’m Hepburn and she’s Tracy. I sort of play the leading lady in it. The damsel in distress. Comedies are hard to pull off, though. They’re contingent on one thing and that’s chemistry. If the leads don’t have it, it’s difficult.

You’ve known Sandra Bullock for a long time. Is it hard to do a romcom with a friend?
I’ve known Sandy for eight years. When she said she was going to do it, that sealed the deal for me. Our six hour rehearsal schedule ended after 45 minutes because the chemistry was there from the first line. But a film set is not a romantic setting. A kissing scene’s about as intimate as being under mortar fire! Our job is to make it look romantic.

What impresses you most about Sandra?
The mystery of Sandra Bullock is not how beautiful she is. It’s that she doesn’t quite realize how beautiful she is. I think that’s what makes her so funny and so accessible to the whole world. Also, she can compress a novel’s worth of emotion into a single look. It’s not something I aspire to be able to duplicate, because I can’t. She’s a one off in that respect.

So how did you prepare for the comedy nude scene with her?
It was awkward as we’re very good friends outside of this. So it was a bit bizarre. I was training for the New York Marathon at the time, so I had my end taken care of. Sandy was the one doing crunches in her hotel room!

Did you run the marathon?
Yes. Several months after we finished the movie. I was getting up at 4.30 and running five to ten miles, every day. It was pretty awful (laughs). The year before I’d said I’d do it for Michael J. Fox - for his foundation - but I had to back out at the last minute. I couldn’t cancel on him again. It was an amazing experience. But not something I’d rush out to do again.

You’ve had a few films out back-to-back. Do you worry about over-exposure?
I would if they were three comedies in a row or three action movies. But since each one’s so different than the last, I don’t worry about it. Plus, I’m a lead in The Proposal, but in Wolverine and Adventureland I’m a supporting character. Yes, a lot of big releases. You don’t usually plan on them to stack up like this!

What kind of comedy do you like?
I grew up watching Fawlty Towers and Monty Python. Even now I’m watching Little Britain. For me, there’s nothing better than deadpan, dry humour. The drier, the better.

You’re a Canadian and Sandra plays a Canadian in the film – did she get it right?
I quizzed her at the beginning of the film and she was pretty much spot on! The only thing she didn’t know was poutine. Every Canadian knows what a poutine is: a delicious concoction of gravy, french-fries and cheese curds. With heart surgery on the side! She didn’t know what that was, but otherwise she was spot on.

In the film, your character breaks with family tradition and leaves home. How did your family react when you left Canada to be an actor?
I come from a very testosterone-fueled family. I mean, I have three older brothers. My dad was a cop. My brother is a cop. It took a while. But it’s hard to deny your kid is doing alright when you’re watching him on Entertainment Tonight: “Well, he must be making a living, at least!”

Read more film star interviews!

Glenn Watson (DI Reviewer), 27/07/09

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