A missed opportunity for romantic comedy greatness

Rating: 6/10 (23 October 2009)

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a ruthless editor at a New York publishing house who is loathed by her staff. Her loyal assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) does what he can to please her, but he messages everyone in the office just as much about his hate for Margaret. During a meeting with the bosses, Margaret finds out her Visa has expired and she will be deported back to Canada. On a whim, she concocts a scheme that will allow her to stay in the United States: pretend she is going to get married to Andrew. As customs tries to dissect their fake relationship, the "couple" travels to Andrew's parents house in Alaska to celebrate Grandma Annie's (Betty White) birthday, while finding out more about themselves.
On the outset, The Proposal looks like a by-the-numbers romantic comedy unlike any other. The unlikely couple is set up early on, we get introduced very quickly to the strange and sitcomishly quirky family members and friends, and then we watch as the hi-jinx and love ensue. And for the majority of the first half, the film does exactly that. Only the film lets on that it knows how predictable it is and will become, but lets the cast have fun in their roles anyway. I did not laugh a lot, but I would be lying if I did not have a smile on my face watching Bullock and Reynolds act off each other. There is not a lot of chemistry between them, but it works because Reynolds' character is supposed to hate every fibre of Bullock's being. Watching him pull his wiseass sarcastic shtick has still not become tiresome when it is used in the right films (X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not one of those films). And Bullock has always been a reliable rom-com gem, so watching her back in a role she helped perfect was quite amusing.
But then the film takes the necessary turns leading to its conclusion (packing on stranger and stranger moments of "hilarity" involving White), and it runs out of gas all too soon. The small amount of laughs left got replaced by weepy melodramatic drama, and a key storyline involving Andrew's relationship with his father Joe (Craig T. Nelson). Its relative ease at knowing what kind of film it is gets replaced by trying to be a film it is not. It takes its quirky set-up, and it turns it into something stale. It feels like someone caught on that the film was playing too fast and loose with romantic comedy conventions, and decided to invigorate it with some ideas it did not need to use. As it beelines headfirst towards its finale, it just becomes a complete bore to watch and lacks any of the zest and enjoyment the proceeding half of the film had. Its predictability becomes a chore for it to fulfil, not a fun obligation.
The downfall of the film is in the fact that the filmmakers realized how much of a by-the-numbers romantic comedy it was, tried to change it up, but left most of the evidence behind. The requisite ex-lover is here in Gertrude (Malin Akerman). It seems to be fine for her to hang around with the family, and she reveals a few secrets about Andrew's past, but the film does nothing with her otherwise. Mr. Gilbertson (Denis O'Hare) is set up to be this dastardly villain of a customs agent, deadest on proving Margaret and Andrew are faking their engagement. But by the time he shows up again after his initial introduction, you have practically forgotten he was introduced at all. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen do a decent job as Andrew's parents, but their relationship now and from before Andrew left Alaska is never really fleshed out. We only get small chunks of what went on, and not enough to piece together this backstory that seems so integral to the film. White and Oscar Nuñez are here specifically to be comic relief, but even their outrageous antics become tiresome as the film goes on.
But the brunt of the blame falls on Bullock and Reynolds. They work so well together for the first half of the film (age gap notwithstanding) that it just becomes downright heartbreaking to see it all fall apart by the end. It almost looks like the performances they were proud of ended up all at the beginning, and all the negative and rehearsal practice footage ended up at the end. You can almost pinpoint where their hearts are in it making this film, and when they just could care less. If they look like they stopped caring what happens, then why should the audience? It is just so disappointing when you go into a film with low expectations, only to have them shattered so well by being so surprised, only to realize too soon that your low expectations were right all along. I had the same experience with I Am Legend, watching a great first half only to fall prey to an absolutely atrocious second half. While The Proposal was never on track for the same off-the-rails disaster Legend quickly became, it still stands as a film that started well and just ended up being a failure.
While there are some hilarious moments littered throughout the film (even when it is at its weakest), The Proposal still acts as a missed opportunity. It has the makings for a typical romantic comedy, but one with an awareness for the genre that does not impede on its ability to be enjoyable. But it betrays that sensibility far too quickly, and ruins any of the fun viewers could have had with it. It is by no means unwatchable, but unfortunately, it is nowhere near as good as it could have been.
6/10.
(Portions of this review originally appeared on http://www.dvdfanatic.com).