The Proposal

It's always amusing when people criticize movies like The Proposal for being predictable or credulity straining, as though there were some sort of irreverent tendency for studio romantic comedies to be subversive and neo-realist. They thrive on contriving unlikely dramatic tension in a garish, almost surreal way, in order to fulfil some sort of idealized notion of humanity and romance so that those inclined to watch such fare can feel a little hope and whimsy in between trips to the grocery store and their kids' hockey game. This latest in the ever-expanding Sandra Bullock oeuvre proves little exception, obeying the rules of the genre with a youthful sense of glee and playful sass. Here, Bullock plays Margaret Tate, a bitchy, Type-A book editor in New York, threatened with a potential deportation back to her homeland ― Canada. Thinking quickly on her pricey Christian Louboutins, Margaret arranges a green card marriage with wary assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who, of course, hates her. And since this is a feature-length rom-com, a meddling immigration officer forces the unlikely couple to convince Andrew's loving Alaskan family of their affections, leading to fish-out-of-water antics for Margaret and crazy shenanigans involving edible poodles and unplanned nudity. Anyone looking for a deeper message will surely be disappointed, as all there is here is the observation that attractive people will inevitably have sex if thrown together for long enough, along with more proof that Sandra Bullock likes determined, solipsistic characters that eventually realize the toll they take on others. In addition to a fancy digital copy of the film, the DVD includes a feature-length commentary with director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli, which is a little spunky but mostly congratulatory. A "Set Antics" supplement shows Ms. Bullock and Mr. Reynolds breaking into laughter behind the scenes and the alternate ending demonstrates mainly that endings are typically re-shot for good reason.