Saturday, July 4, 2009

MOVIE REVIEW THE PROPOSAL
Sandra Bullock and romantic comedies appear to be perfectly matched. With her cute pixie looks and gift for comic timing, her somewhat limited range has found a safe haven in many fluffy outings. It's just as well she's a success with those, as her more dramatic roles have caused unintentional amusement. Happily for her fans, The Proposal finds her doing what she does best with her charms elevating a reasonable effort. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a feared editor of a book publishing firm. Used to treating her underlings with icy discipline, her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) knows what a she-devil she can be. When the Canadian born Margaret is told she will be deported due to visa problems, her tactical mind devises a plan. Forcing Andrew to marry her, she has to then meet his parents in order to show the immigration officials of their undying love. Mixing it up with the folk in his home town, her formidable demeanour slowly diminishes as she and her stubborn fiancé trade non-matrimonial barbs. There are those who adore this genre and others who find them insufferable. Whilst I can usually be found with the latter category, The Proposal is better than most due to its approach. Often a lot of these films have added fantastical elements to their romances taking away that vital trace of believability. Without this hint of realism it's very difficult to fully engage with the main leads. Certainly The Proposal does indulge in a few outlandish moments with requisite clichéd stereotypes intact. What makes it enjoyable are the fine cast and enough fun moments grounding proceedings with genuine authenticity. Wisely the film realises the importance of having good leads with Bullock and Reynolds generating fine chemistry. Reynolds in particular has developed into appealing leading man material using an old fashioned charm seldom used. His scenes with Bullock create valid sparks with their dialogue utilising some witty repartee to good effect. It's interesting how deceptive the screenplay is, as the initial love story gives way to a story about cherishing familial bonds despite the sometimes uncomfortable periods a large family can bring. This aspect brings the whole film up a notch as it shows effort has been made to create an actual story than relying too heavily on stock standard situations. The Proposal may have the usual scenes of spousal humiliation and bickering, but it reasonably tries to develop new ideas in a stale format. This is one of those films that you may forget once you've seen it, but its attempts to emulate the romantic comedies of old is admirable without any of the cynicism devaluating such overripe sagas. Movie Review Rating 5 / 10 Movie Review by Patrick Moore The Proposal Official home page click here If you have any comments to make about this Movie Review, then please use the comment box, titling your comments with Movie Review The Proposal Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia.

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