Some Day Sandra Bullock's Ship Will Come In

Rating: Null/10 (2 November 2009)

SPOILER ALERT Sandra Bullock is a beautiful woman and a comedic actress of considerable talent, waiting for the right vehicle to come along. "The Proposal" isn't it. There are several things wrong with this film. First, I don't remember when I've seen a film that was more predictable. Not only the outcome but key details. E.g., Margaret Tate (Bullock's character) can't swim; surprise, surprise, she falls out of a speed boat giving her pretend fiancé, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) the much needed opportunity to rescue her and comfort and cuddle her. Second, although Reynolds is a good looking guy, he hasn't got the magnetism or the acting skills to stand beside Bullock. There are a couple of well-played supporting roles: Betty White as Grandma Annie, the Paxton family matriarch who wants to see her grandson married and producing great grandchildren, and Denis O'Leary as the immigration official who correctly suspects a phony marriage to prevent Margaret Tate from being deported from the U.S. to her native Canada. Mary Steenburgen and Craig Nelson perform credibly as Andrew's wealthy parents, who'd like him to come home to Sitka, Alaska to run the family empire instead of chasing the literary dreams that has imprisoned him as the terrifying editor Margaret Tate's personal assistant and full-time slave. I found the movie pleasant enough, though a waste of Sandra Bullock's talents. My wife wasn't that charitable.