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 THE PROPOSAL |
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| Featuring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White |
| Director: Anne Fletcher |
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Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment |
| DVD release: 13 October 2009 |
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Runtime: 108 min.
(2 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p High Definition, Aspect ratio 2.35:1, Audio tracks (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - French, Spanish), Subtitles (English SDH, French, Spanish), Set Antics: Outtakes and Other Absurdities From The Proposal, Deleted scenes, Audio commentary (dir. Anne Fletcher, writer Peter Chiarelli), Alternate ending
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You can guess from the trailer of The Proposal how the movie will end. It's a formula that's been used for decades. When the male lead and the female lead hate one another, they'll love one another in the end. If this feels like a spoiler to you, then you haven't seen very many movies.
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a publishing executive with a heart of steel. She's severe and ruthless and gets what she wants. Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) has been her assistant for the last three years. He knows Tate's needs well enough to have backup contingencies in case he spills her coffee. He warns the others in the office via Instant Messenger that "The Witch is coming" so that they can seem to be busier when she's near. She's cruel enough to fire a man in front of Andrew and then forces Andrew to marry her so she won't get deported back to Canada. Of course, he manages to work in some items to benefit him and his career as well. To make the impending nuptials seem more realistic to the bosses, Margaret and Andrew head up to Sitka, Alaska, to visit Andrew's family for the weekend.
The point of The Proposal is to re-tell the oft-told story in an
attractive way. Is it a believable journey from hate to love?
Perhaps. Some willing suspension of disbelief is necessarily contributed by moviegoers, so we accept some of the less believable items and just go with the flow. The key to this is the likability of the characters. We dislike Margaret at first, as we should, but the
film must show her cold exterior crack and reveal the human inside.
Reynolds is likable in roles where he isn't so full of himself, and this is one of them. He's likable for how he capably handles the details for his boss, and we can see that his family loves him and he loves them. Add to the mix Andrew's mother, Grace (Mary Steenburgen), and his Grandma Annie (Betty White) and there's a lot to like here.
The Blu-ray edition of The Proposal highlights some beautiful Alaskan scenery (though the film was shot mostly in Massachusetts). There are deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and genuinely funny outtakes hosted by Aasif Mandvi. There is also a digital copy for portable viewing.
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