by: Anghus Houvouras

The Proposal
starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds
3 stars (out of 5)

Maybe I’m getting older. Maybe years of endless hours of film and television have reduced my brain to a charred husk. I was looking for any reason to try and understand how exactly I ended up kind-of liking The Proposal, a new romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. The fact that I left the theater not feeling the urge to rub gravel and broken glass into my eyes and ears is a testament to this film.

I hate romantic comedies. Hate—not dislike or loathe, but hate. It’s the kind of hate that makes people curl their hands into fists, anger that makes me shift in my seat for every worthless hour of my life, clenching my teeth while enduring these formulaic disasters. There are only a handful I find tolerable. The vast majority are repellent and represent the most predictable aspects of filmmaking. But I want to focus on some of the romantic comedies I have enjoyed to explain what worked and what didn’t about The Proposal.

Notting Hill: Sincerity is palpable.
Most romantic comedies I can tolerate come from the United Kingdom. There’s something about the Brits and romance. Even though they may very well be the most emotionless people on the face of the Earth, they seem to be able to articulate those awkward feelings of humorous longing.

Despite the fact that it stars Julia Roberts, I actually quite enjoyed Notting Hill. I credit much of this to Hugh Grant. He’s so charming on film, we almost forget he’s a philandering jackass who solicits prostitutes.

Much like Notting Hill, The Proposal features a charismatic male lead. Ryan Reynolds has been making a lot of noise in the industry. His performance in The Proposal showed me why. Equal parts looks and personality, Reynolds makes every role look easy.

When Harry Met Sally: There is chemistry.
It’s talky, morbidly adorable and features one of the most referenced scenes in cinema history. While the banter is witty, and the style feels cribbed from Woody Allen, the movie works because of the unlikely chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds is equally quippy, though not nearly as friendly.

When Harry Met Sally is a story of love that builds over time. The Proposal is one of those screwball-style comedies, showing two people falling in love over the most ridiculous of circumstances. Bullock plays Margaret, a pent-up ice queen who has placed career above all else. She is feared and loathed by her underlings. The only one who can tolerate her is her personal assistant, Andrew (Reynolds). After coming to New York to seek success as an editor, he has been reduced to little more than a gopher. His days are mired in endless, menial tasks. The job becomes even more demeaning when an immigration situation forces Margaret into a quickie engagement with Andrew in order to get a green card.

Yes, it’s a completely tired comedic device, used in every half-assed film and sitcom since the dawn of time. I’m half convinced our immigration policy was created for no other reason than to be a thread of humor in film.

Sleepless in Seattle: It was meant to be.
There are those who are able to take a cinematic leap of faith: suspension of disbelief. I envy those who can buy into the typical idiotic Hollywood premise. So few movies are able to convey a sense of purpose. Romantic comedies are all so remarkably similar—practically interchangeable. Does anyone go to a romantic comedy and doubt the outcome? Of course not. Everyone knows by the film’s final reel that the two leads are going to be smiling at each other like half-witted goofs before embracing in a passionate kiss.

Since there’s no illusion to the conclusion, the hard sell is the belief that these two wild and crazy kids belong together. I don’t know if I was totally sold on this aspect of The Proposal. Bullock and Reynolds play well off of one another, but the stakes are set so low—too low, even. The only real threat here is that Margaret might get deported to Canada and lose her cushy job (the horror). And since Margaret is such an initially unlikable character, the thought of her being banished to frosty Toronto seems almost fitting.

Director Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses) tries to make the fake marriage all the more epic by including the world’s most obsessive INS Agent. It doesn’t work and only exists to show the gaping holes in the story. The Proposal lacks that sense of grand and epic romance. It feels less like a love story and more like a story told by the best man at a wedding toast. “Remember the time you two crazy kids went to Alaska and tried to fake a marriage? Good times.”

My Best Friend’s Wedding: A good supporting cast always helps.
Every good romantic comedy needs a strong supporting cast—characters who can deliver some well-needed laughs when the rich syrupy relationship material gets too heavy. My Best Friend’s Wedding was gifted with the presence of Rupert Everett. As George, he brought the noise and the funk. Every time I thought the film might descend into self importance, George showed up to spew a little venom.

The Proposal has Betty White, who still has a devilish twinkle in her eye. She’s not allowed to bring it all the way to 11. I was hoping for some Lake-Placid moments of foul-mouthed debauchery. But she still manages to steal the show.

If White is the bright light of the film, the dark cancerous growth is Craig T. Nelson. He is just awful—completely miscast as an angry businessman who doesn’t understand his son. This relationship has been portrayed onscreen so many times, it’s tired. Nelson is so utterly pointless. They could have replaced him with a tennis ball on the end of a stick, and I doubt anyone would have noticed.

While The Proposal is a mixed bag, it’s also brisk, well-acted and has some funny moments. It’s also highly predictable and strains credibility like a fat man in a spandex unitard. But there were enough enjoyable moments to consider it a win. No, it isn’t going to end up on any “best-of” lists; however, deft direction and energized performances make it something other than awful.

* * *

Reel to Reel: A few must-sees this week

Cinematique
310 Chestnut Street • 910-343-1640
Shows at 7:30pm, $7

•July 1st, 2009
Every Little Step, PG-13
The Broadway favorite “A Chorus Line” became a cultural touchstone in its epic first run in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, and its new-millennium revival has attracted similar interest. For this documentary, directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo (The Year of the Yao) chronicle the history of the musical, revealing the show’s origins in the ‘70s, as well as getting unprecedented access to the behind-the-scenes action of the revival.

•July 6th-8th, 2009
Tyson, R
Director James Toback takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the life of Mike Tyson, almost solely from the perspective of the man himself. Tyson alternates between the controversial boxer addressing the camera and shots of the champion’s fights to create an arresting picture of the man.

Free Movie Sundays
Carolina Beach Lake
Shows at 8:45pm, free

•July 5th, 2009
Madagascar II, PG
Madagascar II: Escape to Africa stars the New York Zoo animals Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo, still stranded on Madagascar and starting to leave the island. All of a sudden, they land in the wilderness of Africa. There, Alex soon meets the rest of his family and starts to have trouble communicating with them after much of his time at the Central Park Zoo.