Sidewalks On The Corner

Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) is basically the assistant to Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), in other words, she's his boss. As the queen bee of a successful publishing company, Tate is not well liked by her employees. To make her life more miserable, she finds out that she may be deported back to Canada. Her way around the immigration system ... getting married to her assistant. Written by Pete Chiarelli and directed by Anne Fletcher, here comes “THE PROPOSAL.”

Follow up:

THE PROPOSAL
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
ProposalMovie.com
Release Date: June 19, 2009
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Denis O’Hare and Betty White
Director: Anne Fletcher

Studio Synopsis:
When high-powered book editor Margaret (SANDRA BULLOCK) faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she’s actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew (RYAN REYNOLDS), who she’s tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family (MARY STEENBURGEN, CRAIG T. NELSON, BETTY WHITE) and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.

(l to r) BETTY WHITE, MARY STEENBURGEN,
RYAN REYNOLDS, CRAIG T. NELSON
Photo: Kerry Hayes SMPSP
© Touchstone Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved.

What I Liked:
I have mentioned numerous times before, that I'm not a fan of romantic films. The reason being is because some of them drown in there own sappiness. Well, little by little, my tone is starting to change. Gone are the days of the storybook, sugary sweet romance movies of old. “The Proposal” isn't your typical sappy love story, which in my opinion turned out much better than I expected

The non-romantic/romantic film starts off as a simple comedy with a somewhat predictable ending. Although the story itself wasn't anything new, it still tickled my ribs enough to keep me watching. With films like, this isn't easy to do.

What makes this ironic comedy so funny is the desperate measures Tate is willing to take to stay in the U.S. Something she calls “a business deal.” Bullock's character is doing everything from making up stories about how the two met to sleeping in the same room. It's also interesting how the balance shifts from bubbely comedy to light-hearted drama. I liked the scene where Tate has to come clean and get a few things off of her chest, as she spills her guts about her life growing up to Paxton. I felt a little sympathy for her. You then begin to understand why she acts like a total she devil towards others.

Casting:
Part of the reasons for the film’s success is due to the strong performances from Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. I felt Bullock's performance is convincing enough from a comical standpoint. Well, almost. I've never seen her play a shrewd, sour faced, meanie before. For her first time, she did about as well as anyone could. Although she doesn't compare to Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada," it's not that difficult playing a stuck up boss.

Ryan Reynolds is usually the funny man in other films, so his role wasn't a stretch. However, his expressions were much more pronounced than usual. His face said it all; even his demeanor was apparent that his despised his boss.

When I saw the film at special press screening with Sidewalks executive producer Richard R. Lee, we both agreed that the one-time Golden Girl Betty White (playing grandma Annie) stole the movie. She was hilarious in all her scenes.

(l to r) SANDRA BULLOCK, BETTY WHITE
Photo: Kerry Hayes SMPSP
© Touchstone Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved

I really don't have many complaints. This is the first time I wanted to watch this movie from beginning to end. At first, I had dismissed “The Proposal” completely, that's why watching it came as a nice surprise. It really wasn't a terrible movie, however it's not worth the ticket price for me.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.