Atomic Team Review: The Proposal

ERIK BUCKMAN: Romantic comedies, like nearly every film in the horror genre, have a small playing field and a list of guidelines in which to play from. Here’s a list of some of those guidelines:

1. You must have an “airport scene.” You know, where the guy sprints to the airport to declare his love before it’s too late? If you can’t have an airport scene, you must have some kind of a chase with the guy (it’s always a dude) chasing the gal on foot while she is in a fast-moving 40-ton vehicle.
2. The story must focus on a guy who must either be a hardcore philanderer that is afraid of real love/commitment, or on a nasty woman who fills the large void where her personal life should be, with her career. The two are interchangeable…but not usually.
3. The kiss that changes everything.
4. The female lead must leave the friendly confines of home and visit an environment outside of her comfort zone with hilarious consequences.

PHILIP BARRETT: I’m doing to add guideline number five, which is solid chemistry between it’s leads. All of the above cliches are ultimately forgivable if the man and the woman come off as two people who at first wouldn’t like each other, but could conceivably get along and have some form of romance. The most recent Ghosts of Girlfriends Past worked largely in part because Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner played off of the other well. There are flaws in that film, yes, but the leads go hand in hand which wipes away most of the blemishes. One could say, romantic comedies live or die by chemistry. The Proposal, while not completely terrible, dies horribly by this cree.

BUCKMAN: Ah! But Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds worked well in The Proposal simply because they didn’t play well off each other. The duo are trapped within circumstances which are largely awkward. They captured this exquisitely. Showing that while they learn each other’s foibles, sweet, sweet movie love can happen anywhere and to anyone. In Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner’s characters knew each other since childhood. It makes sense that they matched up so well. Here, it makes sense that they do not.

Speaking of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, I’m glad to see we don’t have an ancient and decrypted figure hitting on a tween in The Proposal. Now that’s awkward.

PBAR: But think about this; this is your boss, who has crapped all over you for so long and kept you from seeing your folks for three years solid and you complain about her. It’s a stretch to begin with to given the plot, I understand that, but I honestly doubt Ryan Reynolds would have gone along with it  The film gives nothing remotely likable about Bullock’s Margaret Tate and it’s not helped by the fact Bullock doesn’t drop “witch” mode the entire film. Reynolds on the other hand is one of the best things in the film. Even if I feel his character would have told “Maggie” ‘go screw your hamster’ when the proposal was given, he did a perfect job as Andrew and really sold the anger towards his father.

BUCKMAN: I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a rom-com that wasn’t a stretch. Some are stories work better than others but the film managed to suspend my disbelief for that hour and a half. I’m with you on Reynolds. Dude was outstanding. Another highlight was Betty White. She was a scene-stealer from start to finish. As for the lovely Mrs. Jesse James, I actually had the opposite problem. I never saw her as a fire-breathing dragon-lady. Sure all the signs were there: pulled back hair, tight pencil skirt and stiletto heels, but beyond that, I wasn’t buying that she was such a jerk.

PBAR: Oh I agree Bullock is still outright gorgeous for her age, no argument there. For some reason, and it’s not a knock on her, she’s always given me this “dominating bitch” vibe BUT in things like Demolition Man or Speed she doesn’t appear as such so she’s capable of not doing it. Opposite of Mr. Buckman, I felt that she was trying to be nice rather than she was coming off as nice.

I know rom-com’s are supposed to be taken with a grain of salt, but that to me sort of felt out of character for Reynolds’ Andrew. We’re told he wanted to run away to New York with high school love Gertrude (played by Malin Akerman, who sadly doesn’t break out the Silk Spectre outfit) which told me the character had this type of devil may care attitude and wouldn’t think twice about telling his boss where to go and stick it. Maybe it’s just my view on him, but I didn’t think he’d sit there and take it from her particularly when we see his rage in a few scenes with his father.

BUCKMAN: The film could have gone in different directions with further development of the Andrew/Gertrude and Andrew/Family storylines. Those stories, if made larger, would take away from the main focus which is Andrew and Margaret. Just having those mere tidbits of back-story was fine.

"I'd rather be here than Wolverine."

Nobody plays Ryan Reynolds better than Ryan Reynolds. Charming, witty and entertaining without making his characters a vexing experience, Reynolds easily makes this film a fun time for both parties of your date. Sandra Bullock is everything you’ve come to expect from her performances in this genre and does not disappoint, that is, if you are a fan of this genre. But for all the romanticism and predictability of this movie, the most memorable performance is that of Betty White as the slightly bizarre grandmother. She is hilarious and most of the film’s funniest moments are the result of her stealing scenes. Though, that’s what grandmas in comedies are supposed to do.

PBAR: Agreed on White as well, she’s always a delight to see. Even scenes that had me scratching my head like the scene in the woods where she’s chanting she makes work. The woman gracefully doesn’t come off as a stereotype, even though the script calls for her to do so at every turn.

At the end of the day, you could do a lot worse than The Proposal. It’s likable enough and will play well to it’s audience. It’s nowhere near as terrible as the ads will make you believe but that still doesn’t mean it’s any good. The script is problematic and only one half of it’s leads brings it to the table. It’s just another summer rom-com that will be forgotten as the years wear on. Outside of White and Reynolds, it does nothing too different than what’s already been seen and is completely predictable. However, this movie wasn’t catered for people like Buckman and I and should be something of a success.

BUCKMAN: Oh, I’d say the movie was catered to Buckman.

It’s no surprise that The Proposal has not only read the holy book of Rom-Com, but has put its teachings into practice. As it reads in Sandra 6:2, “…and Hugh Grant said to thee, ‘The mirth of feel-goodery and wacky setups shall bring the audience together, united in laughter with guffaws for even the most ardent cynic.’ ”

Amen.

Buckman’s Grade –