Search - The Proposal (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition + Digital Copy) on DVD

Fun Extras for Decent Time Waster

Cubist | United States | 10/13/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are two deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli. There is a nice scene with Andrew's parents (Nelson and Steenburgen). We also see Margaret and Andrew getting a little more comfortable with each other. They are nice enough scenes but not essential and one can see why they were cut.

There is an alternate ending with optional commentary. Fletcher and Chiarelli talk about why they didn't use this ending and another one that they didn't use as well. The humour in this scene is much broader than the rest of the film and seems out of place.

"Set Antics: Outtakes and Other Absurdities from The Proposal" is a montage of the cast goofing around on set. It looks like they had a lot of fun making this film.

Finally, there is an audio commentary by Fletcher and Chiarelli. They start off explaining the dichotomy between the two main characters. Fletcher says that Bullock loved the screenplay and gave Chiarelli all kinds of notes to make her character nastier. He talks about the mechanics of the story while she talks about the challenge of working on location. This is a fairly decent track by two people clearly proud of their film."

Bullock and Reynolds Rise Above Formula

James A. Strong | Atlanta, Georgia United States | 10/26/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Things have changed a fair bit for Sandra Bullock since the release of "While You Were Sleeping," and "The Proposal" reflects those changes. In the earlier film, she was a newcomer with a "girl next door" image who had a brightness of spirit and innocence about her that made the viewer buy into the whimsy (which looks pretty thin, in retrospect) of that film. This time around, fourteen years later, Bullock has several romantic comedies under her belt and she has developed her screen persona gradually over time. The comparison is warranted, however--the two films have plenty of similarities. Both are about her pretending to be engaged, both have her meet her faux fiancee's families, and both touch on the old moral that honesty is the best policy. Keeping that in mind, thankfully, "The Proposal" doesn't ask too much; it doesn't require that we bend suspension of disbelief too much to enjoy it. It plays off of the viewer's dual desires to see her in the genre where she excels and also see something new, and it delivers on both counts.

In "The Proposal," Bullock plays an overbearing book editor who runs her office like Miranda Priestley of "The Devil Wears Prada." She's a hard-edged businesswoman who seems like love is the farthest thing from her mind. Ryan Reynolds plays the assistant who dutifully caters to her every whim, sacrificing his own personal life for the sake of his career. She knows this and takes full advantage of it on a daily basis. She even blackmails him to marry her so that she can get a visa (she's a Canadian citizen) and remain in the United States. He reluctantly agrees, and the two of them embark on a trip to Alaska to meet his family to show a suspicious immigration officer that their relationship is no sham.

This is where the film attempts to develop Bullock's character into flesh and blood. As expected, her experiences with his family are designed to humanize her. Despite the transparency of the effort, it ultimately works. This is thanks in no small part to the chemistry between her and Reynolds. The progression of their relationship is believable, and the two play off of each other well. Reynolds proves to be witty and charming, and Bullock strikes the right balance between cynicism and vulnerability.

The family figures themselves are more of a mixed bag. The tension between father and son is palpable between Craig T. Nelson and Reynolds, respectively. Betty White assumes the role of the nutty grandmother (a role that is far too similar to the one played by Glynis Johns in "While You Were Sleeping.") Mary Steenburgen goes through the motions as the mother figure of the film, leaving very little impression as she essentially plays a cardboard cut-out character.

The predictability of the story works as much for it as against it: the viewer takes comfort in the fact that they're likely to get a happy ending, but there aren't many surprises. It grounds itself in reality more than "While You Were Sleeping," making it more plausible, yet no less enjoyable. Those seeking rapturous romantic magic might want to look elsewhere, but those seeking an above-average date movie could certainly do worse."