Facing deportation, a scathing, hard-nosed publicist (Sandra Bullock) and her passive-aggressive assistant (Ryan Reynolds) soon find themselves thrust toward the sacred bonds of matrimony. One needs a groom to stay in the country, the other needs a bride to keep his job. Their plan is simple enough: a quick marriage followed by a quicker divorce. While visiting the to-be in-laws in Alaska, however, these faux-betrotheds soon find themselves questioning their true feelings and the sincerity of this proposal.
The two leads work great together on screen, Bullock dishing out causticity left and right, Reynolds eating it up and resending it with droll subtlety (a recurring element in the film which owes to both good writing and a quality performance by Reynolds). Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen also offer quality, emotional performances as the future in-laws, and Betty White is endearing as wacky Grandma Paxton. Some of the lesser supporting roles in this film turn out to be comedic gems and leave the viewer wanting more. Aasif Mandvi, for example, delivers that classic befuddled character we’ve come to know and love from his correspondent work on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.
Bonus features on this DVD version of The Proposal include an alternate ending and deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli, as well as a funny outtakes-and-antics feature hosted by Mandvi. Viewers are also treated to a sneak peek of numerous productions, including Lost: The Complete Fifth Season, the tenth anniversary special edition of 10 Things I Hate About You, and the upcoming movies Cheri (starring Kathy Bates and Michelle Pfeiffer) and Old Dogs (starring Robin Williams and John Travolta).
This film features everything fans of romantic comedy have come to love about the genre, in addition to dog-hungry eagles, a grammy who is a little too in touch with nature, and one very busy island dancer. I recommend The Proposal to all fans of the genre or anyone just looking for some good laughs.
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