La propuesta

Okay, I had been really excited to see The Proposal ever since it came out. I was hyping it up a lot when I knew it wasn't going to be a masterpiece, but I just love Sandra Bullock and Betty White and couldn't wait to get my hands on this film! When I did, it definitely lived up to my expectations.

The thing with The Proposal was you could predict the ending and predict some events that would be happening throughout the film and some of the main problems were cliché, but I wasn't basing my opinions on this movie to be,"Is it going to be predictable, because if it is, I won't like it!" No, I wasn't like that, because I knew this film was going to be predictable here and there, but I was looking to see if they made it enjoyable and at least brought some fresh, new material to the table, which they certainly did that! I thought some scenes were just so wonderfully done and the whole movie itself was constructed perfectly for the type of movie that it is.

I had a really good time watching The Proposal and thought it was great entertainment with insanely lovable characters; I wanted to shriek with joy every time I saw Grandma Annie; a lot of incredibly humorous scenes at times, my favorites were when Margaret and Grandma Annie were dancing to the spirits which got the biggest laughs out of any part of the movie from me and when the dog was picked up by an eagle and Margaret was chasing it around trying to get her phone back; both hysterical, and some questionable, yet sweet and charming dialogue; Near the end in the office was cute and original, and the credits were funny as well with the dialogue in them. This movie while being cliché, as I've stated many times, did still pack a very powerful punch and made me laugh, cry and enjoy it tremendously, so therefore it succeeded in what it was meant to do in the first place and that was to entertain. I loved it for the light-hearted, pleasant and fun comedy that it is....

We went into this movie more or less out of despair; the cinema offerings seemed uniformly lousy and we simply wanted to see a movie that looked like fun. This one looked stupid: I'd seen Betty White promoting the movie on Jimmy Fallon's show and the scene shown was idiotic, though it did have a couple of amusing lines. Well, we were all pleasantly surprised. The outcome of the plot might be predictable, but the road getting there is surprisingly sharp and entertaining. There are quite a few witty lines and exchanges, and the delivery and timing of the two stars and, of course, of Betty White are just about perfect. Both of the lead characters have surprises in their backgrounds to reveal, and the settings are beautiful. There are one or two scenes that are clunkers, but even the dopey episode with White's Grandma Annie doing a ritualistic dance in the woods ends up having some relevance to a later plot event. The movie is well thought-out and well executed, and the actors create characters who engage us, even if we don't know anyone quite like them in our own lives.

My jaw is still aching, almost an hour and a half after the credits rolled. I don't recall when I last laughed this consistently and heartfelt at a new production. Yes, this is pretty formulaic stuff... if you've seen one mismatched couple romantic comedy, you've seen them all. This never claimed to be anything other than that. It definitely delivers what one expects from the genre, without any of it being phoned in or taken any less seriously. Not every film needs to revolutionize the craft, and shape cinema for decades to come. If everything was excellent, it would become the norm, and it would cease to be special. And I find it incredible and immensely positive that a movie with this kind of humor(observational, and largely derived from typical situations that happen to everyone) can still be made, and be nicely received. Humiliation and pain are not actually funny. They get a schadenfreude reaction, "thank goodness that didn't happen to me", and thus we move further apart, isolate ourselves all the more. This does the opposite, letting us get closer to each other, share the little things that we've forgotten are silly or "off" in our everyday lives. It does go a tad too far on occasion, to get the audience going, but those instances are few in number. The acting is great all-round, and the two leads have chemistry, and play off each other well. There are countless memorable sequences, jokes and gags in this. This contains "moments" between Bullock and Reynolds, as well, and they genuinely work. You feel for them. The characters are just about invariably well-written, interesting and credible. In general, the script is well-done. The music is pleasant and well-chosen. This ought to entertain nearly everyone, of any age. There is a little strong and/or risqué language, and a couple of usually mild sexual references, and this tends to be inoffensive. I recommend this to all who think they may enjoy it. Chances are that you're right. 8/10

Although the movie is predictable, like most romance comedies are, nevertheless it was sweet. Sure a bit unrealistic in terms of the time line of the whole plot takes place but this is why we have movies like this, so you can escape into the fantasy of romance and humor. If you are looking for realism then watch a 3 hour drama, but if you want to escape for awhile and just enjoy a movie you don't have to think too much about then it's worth your time. If you don't want to pay to go see it in the theater, then wait for it to come out on DVD. I saw it during a private screening as part of the ATL Film Festival, for close to two hours I thought of nothing else and laughed and even cried a bit. I would definitely see it again. It may not be the best romantic comedy I have seen but the movie still holds lots of charm.

Well, if I could split the movie into two, I would say that the first half is a superb Proposal and the second half is fairly traditional Hollywood pablum. In the first half, the wonderful comedic timing and chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds was terrific. The writing was first-rate intellectual, snappy sparring, even throwing in some literary references in the put-downs. Kudos to the Director, Anne Fletcher, and the Screenwriter, Pete Chiarelli.

The completely different tone in the second half, I surmise, could only be attributed to the studios/producers stepping in and stating that the film must appeal to a wider audience. We, then, get lots of family characters thrown in, with a great reduction of Bullock and Reynolds mutual screen time. And when they do share time in the second half, it's more about slapstick/physical humor (cue studios/producers needing appeal to wider, a.k.a, younger audience). Maudlin music comes in on the soundtrack, letting us know that this part of the movie is supposed to tug on our heartstrings.

I don't buy the inevitable resolution either. I don't believe that it is supported well or justified by what came before it.

The 1st 45 minutes is WELL worth seeing. I wish the filmmakers could have pushed and maintained the pace and feel for the entire movie. Reynolds and Bullock are so good, they could be this generation's Tracy and Hepburn. I'd like to see them in another project that follows through all the way.

BTW, this film was actually shot in Boston and (the Alaska scenes) in Manchester by the Sea and Rockport on the North Shore with digital effects adding snow capped mountains. You might even recognize Motif No.1, a famous small building on a wharf in Rockport which has been the subject of many famous painters' and photographers' work. It was also fun seeing some of my local Boston area acting colleagues doing background work in the film.