Bullock & Reynolds Shine as Unlikely Pair in ‘The Proposal’

proposalWhat do you get when you combine a romantic comedy veteran like Sandra Bullock [The Net, The Lake House] with someone the likes of Ryan Reynolds [Blade Trinity, Waiting] who still hasn’t firmly grasped on to a niche in Hollywood?

Ironically, you get “The Proposal,” an endearing take on the romantic comedy genre that wins over audiences thanks to a fun and realistic script and great supporting spots by Betty White [Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore Show], Craig T. Nelson [Coach, The Incredibles] and Oscar Nunez [Reno 911, The Office].

However, despite the competence and vigor of the supporting cast, it is the performances of Bullock and Reynolds that set this movie apart from every other dime a dozen romantic comedy and make it one of the best films at theaters this summer.

From the start, it’s obvious that there is plenty of chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds. Playing the slightly older, accomplished and independent boss, Bullock has everyone around her petrified, including her younger and dedicated assistant, Reynolds. After she forgets to file her immigration papers and renew her visa however [She’s Canadian], she is forced to ask her assistant [who is ironically Canadian, away from the big screen] to marry her and save her job. Reynolds soon takes advantage of this opportunity and asks for a few things for himself to sweeten the pot.

Now with their plan in action, all they have to do is convince immigration officer Mr. Gilbertson, played by Denis O’Hare [Milk, Baby Mama] that their soon to be marriage is legit. With Reynolds already going back home to Alaska to visit his family for a few days, Bullock decides to go with.

This is where the fun begins.

With a plethora of on-screen chemistry already, Bullock and Reynolds banter back and forth every chance they get, making for several witty and cute scenes. After middling as a smartypants in seemingly every role he’s had on the big screen, Reynolds finally finds the right mixture of charisma and childishness, making him a winner in this film. Bullock also nails the uber-successful, yet lonely boss looking for love role, making them a compatible and convincing pair on the screen.

In the immortal words of Rob Base & D.J. E-Z Rock: “It takes two to make a thing go right.”

Those words ring even truer in a romantic comedy and Bullock and Reynolds seem tailor-made for each other in this picture. Because of that, this is easily the best romantic comedy to grace the big screen in a few years.
The supporting cast, led by the still immensely enjoyable White also round out things and keep the film moving at a brisk and fun pace. The laughs are never huge, but they are the type that keep you glued to the screen.

A Walt Disney Pictures release, don’t expect anything too over the top here, but do expect to be comfortable and thoroughly immersed throughout. The lack of sex and laugh out loud comedy may keep some potential viewers away, but they’ll only be shortchanging themselves by going into another theater.

“The Proposal” is such a strong film, powered by such solid performances and writing, that it doesn’t need any sex scenes or tomfoolery to win over audiences. It simply presents two people and the story of their love, which of course has its bumps along the way that induce its fair share of laughter.

As a matter of fact, its innocence may be one of biggest reasons for its success.

It never goes anywhere near the two stars having a lustful episode or getting inebriated to realize their love. Instead, they just find out how they truly feel by spending time with each other and making fools out of themselves for all the right reasons.

In the end, that’s what romance comedy is all about.

enablingBy far the best romantic comedy this year. You’ll be laughing your heart out… or barking.

Endearing indeed. You’ll just love this cast. Their dynamic and chemistry is effortless. Bullock is so witty and charming, while the underdog Reynolds is the high strung male victim [though he has his moments of glory]. Above all, you’ll truly enjoy the role reversal. Bullock, a woman in control and “on top” is very refreshing to see in such a film. No, silly. Not THAT kind of on top. As a matter of fact, this movie didn’t even need sexual gratification in any way or form to get its point across. Disney is brilliant with this aspect. It takes strong writing and superb acting to prove that point and nail these roles and it’s executed to perfection here, while hugging your heart with true laughter and tears.

Because of this, you will surely enjoy yourself on a date night with, “The Proposal.”

-Sherrie Ocasio

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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