Proposal

Naked.  Nude.  Au naturel.  In the buff.  However you want to phrase it, I have very few objections to the unclothed human body on film.  I appreciate the many, many ways nakedness can bring a new wrinkle, shall we say, to a scene or situation.  Comedy or romance, drama or action, I like to think there’s always room for nudity.  The Proposal gives us a little naked slapstick comedy.  And it works.

The Proposal is a completely predictable by-the-numbers rom-com.  If you’re looking for twists or surprises, I suggest you choose a different genre.  But for what it is, it’s fun.  Sandra Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a very successful, extremely hardassed book editor based in New York City.  Her assistant is Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who is seemingly as submissive as she is dominant.  Short story short, Margaret is going to get deported to Canada because she didn’t fill out her paperwork so she makes Andrew pretend they are engaged so she can keep her job.  They fly off to Alaska to meet his family and fool the INS agent and hijinks ensue.

I have to be honest – I’m not generally a fan of romantic comedies.  They tend to be too sappy, too preposterous or too down-right idiotic for me to enjoy.  But done with some panache, the simple, timeless formula of unlikely romance can work again and again.  It just isn’t easy finding panache in Hollywood these days.  But I like Sandra Bullock – she’s gorgeous and funny and self-deprecating enough to make me like her characters.  Being a good physical comedian helps her even more when her role is that of a fish out of water.  And yes, that’s obviously the road we travel with this pretend couple as they make their way through the minefields of a family visit to Sitka.  Bullock makes Margaret both exasperating and lovable.

The other elements that make The Proposal work are the edge given to Reynolds’ outwardly milquetoast character and the supporting cast of family members.  I don’t know who to credit with Reynolds’ snarkiness – I suppose mostly the writers, but also Reynolds for pulling it off.  For every humiliating indignity he endures, he has a cranky smirk or muttered comeback that makes it obvious that his torturous employment is truly a means to an end and he will only suck up to a certain point.  His collusion with the rest of the office to be aware when the boss is on the prowl sets up his position as a less than complete lap dog.  His response to the blackmail secures it.  Andrew puts Margaret through the wringer when he gets her on his own turf – at least until he begins to develop feelings for her (cue predictability).  The fact that we get to see Reynolds naked doesn’t hurt.  In reality the nude scene (where no naughty bits are actually on display, just a lot of surrounding skin) is not the least bit sexual, rather a moment of slapstick that happens to be sans clothing for both leads.  It’s really nice skin, by the way.

The supporting cast is led by Betty White as Andrew’s grandmother.  Now well into her 80′s, White is as sharp as ever and clearly enjoys the roles she plays.  Her Gammy is both a little dotty and plain old spunky.  With a little edge to make her fun.  It’s clear where Andrew got his habit of under-the-breath snarkasm – Gammy doles it out as well as he does.  Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson are serviceable as Andrew’s parents.  Also pulling in as part of the supporting cast is the glorious Sitka scenery.  While it isn’t the focus or even much of a sub-focus, it makes a lovely backdrop.

Overall I was pretty much won over by The Proposal.  Reynolds and Bullock have nice chemistry so it’s easy to root for them as a couple and both give their roles a little something extra that gets us past the formulaic predictability that mars the basic premise.  Betty White adds a little spice to the proceedings and we’re left with a decent 90 minutes of entertainment.  I was actually disappointed that there was no gag reel in the special features – a couple of the scenes must have been hilarious in the shooting process.  It could be all I really wanted was to see a few more takes of the nakedness.  This isn’t a movie I would rush out to buy, but it’s definitely worth a rental.