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I’m being honest with you when I tell you that after I saw the trailer for this before Angels & Demons, I planned on seeing the movie… when it came on TV… because of the crazy old who-er that Betty White is (and not because of Vocabulariast’s theory that most guys have a crush on Ryan Reynolds). But, sadly, I was tricked into seeing this in theaters after I was enticed by the holy trinity of chicken parm, booze and poon…

The movie is about a bitchy editor-in-chief named Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) and her man-bitch… excuse me… her “assistant”, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). One day, Margaret is told by her bosses that she is going to be deported back to Canada because she’s an illegal alien. So, to continue being a citizen and continue making a boatload of cash, Margaret decides that the only way to remain in the states is by forcing her man-bitch into marrying her. From there on out the two must make it look legit by going to Alaska for the 90th birthday party of Andrew’s Grandma (Betty White) and learn everything they can about each other.

The Proposal plays out like every other romantic comedy that’s out there. The directing by Anne Fletcher is nothing original as she plays it safe and follows the “by-the-numbers” formula for a romantic comedy. The “comedy” in the movie suffers from the facts that it really isn’t funny in the first place and because of the chemistry. The chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds seems really off and at times it’s pretty awkward… especially during the scene when the two run into each other when they’re naked. In the trailer, the scene looks like they run into each other and then collapse to the floor, but in the actual scene, Reynolds looks like he’s saw Bullock naked and instantly thought, “Gross! Her tits and vagina lips are all wrinkly!”

Speaking of Reynolds, he’s largely wasted in this film. He just goes around and spews out some lines here and there and that’s about it. They could have gotten anything other actor out there for this role… I can only think of one reason why Reynolds is in this movie and that’s the “nude” scene they have where chicks will hoot and holler at his side ass shot.

Another problem this movie has is that there are characters that don’t even need to be there. Craig T. Nelson, who plays Reynolds’ father in the movie, serves as a foil in the movie, but isn’t in the movie a lot for anyone to really care that he’s supposed to be a douche. Mary Steenburgen (the mother character) and Malin Akerman (Andrew’s former love) look pretty hot on screen but they serve no purpose in the film. These three characters who, logically, should be playing a larger role take a backseat to a character named Ramone (Oscar Nuñez), who is in almost every other scene. This all leads us to the biggest problem of the movie… the funny moments that were given to Betty White. I’m going to keep this one short and say that these moments are funnier in the trailer.

The Proposal ends up being a clichéd romantic comedy sporting numerous problems. The movie puts the spotlight on Bullock and wastes its supporting cast. If it was handled properly, it probably could have been watchable.

Final Synopsis: Chicks will love this movie. Guys on the other hand are in for the longest hour and forty minutes of their lives… it would be wise to make a deal with your lady friend before seeing this movie.

Points Lost: -1 for being a clichéd romantic comedy, -1 for “by-the-numbers” directing, -1 for wasting Ryan Reynolds, -1 for not being funny, -1 for bad/awkward chemistry between the films stars, -1 for having characters that don’t really serve a purpose, -1 for Betty White’s scene not being as funny as they were in the trailer.

Lesson Learned: In Alaska eagles will try to eat your puppies.

Burning Question: If there was like one hot chick in a small town, don’t you think she’d be getting gang banged every day?

The Proposal
3/10

Tags: 2009, Anne Fletcher, Betty White, comedy, craig t. nelson, Denis O'Hare, latest movie reviews, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nuñez, recent3, romantic comedy, Ryan Reynolds, sandra bullock