Staff Picks Blog
When I sat down to watch The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, I was all psyched up to see Van Wilder vs. Gracie Heart. And that’s pretty much what I got - for the first 15 minutes or so.
The plot is pretty much what you expect: Manhattan publishing powerhouse blackmails her male assistant into marrying her so she can avoid being deported (to Canada). He blackmails her right back, agreeing only if she’ll publish his manuscript. She hardly knows he’s alive. But she can’t function without him. He despises her, but she controls his career.
To convince the Immigration officials they this isn’t a green card marriage – which of course it is – they head off to Andrew’s hometown, Sitka, Alaska, to introduce Margaret to Andrew’s family. And what a family it is! Craig T. Nelson as a disapproving father, Mary Steenburgen as an overly doting mother, and Betty White as Grandma Annie – who takes eccentric to new levels.
The Proposal is a comedy, and in that way it’s perfectly cast. But there’s more to it then just a your usual fish out of water story, although Bullock is great in that role. There’s more to these characters than just what they want each other to see. A lot more.
They each have their own baggage. Tough-as-nails Margaret isn’t really as hard as she’s pretending to be. And Andrew knows way too much about Margaret to simply be her assistant. He knows her inside and out – and is fascinated by her. Only he doesn’t see it.
As with most “not what I thought it was going to be” movies, this one was even better the second time I watched it. I didn’t miss as much of the subtleties the second time through.
