Fun but Formularic

Rating: 6/10 (13 July 2013)

The Proposal
**1/2 (out of 4)
108 mins/ 12
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nunez, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Nouri
Director: Anne Fletcher
Plot: A ruthless boss forces her young male assistant to marry her, so she can avoid deportation to Canada.
JJ's Verdict: Like many romantic comedies, The Proposal has a good original concept but ends up just like any other film in its genre. It is clichéd, formularic but benefits greatly from the superb chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
The Proposal is about Margaret Tate, a pushy and ruthless boss who forces her young male assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her so that she can escape deportation to Canada. They both negotiate deals in their relationship and after their marriage they decide they will divorce straight after if Margaret comes with Andrew to meet his parents in Alaska. From here their relationship unintentionally blossoms and they discover their true feelings for each other. The match-up of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds is brilliant and their awkwardness is just superb, as is Reynolds' character's complete weakness to stand-up to her and easy to manipulate personality. They attempt to outdo each other throughout the film and it is, in a way, nice to see how their relationship develops.
Reynolds' family is suitably embarrassing, especially Betty White's grandma Annie along with Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson's mum and dad.
The main stumbling block in this film is not the characters but the lack of plot movement or variation out of the ordinary, which makes way for a slow paced second half of the film. The premise is there but the majority of the film is just 'coincidental' events bringing them closer together. Sandra Bullock although very good as her bossy character, seems strange as a complete character contrast later in the film when her character changing to a loving sympathetic fiancé. A scene in which she raps with Betty White is completely ridiculous and silly.
The film as a whole is enjoyable, light entertainment but once again an excellent romantic- comedy concept has been ruined by the filmmakers strong desire to stick to the same old boring formula.