Review : The Proposal (2009)

Movie: The Proposal (2009)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Review Category: Available at Rental Retailers


Now if you've read the introduction (and I hope you have I worked tirelessly on it, I promise) you realize that I'm not a fan of the "confused" film. You know, is it straight or gay or undecided, is it male or female, is it a Drama or Comedy...the usual. I just find that if directors, writers, actors, and producers all set out with the same end goal in mind than a film stands a really good chance of being successful. However the practice of mixing themes generally results in poo.
The Proposal decided to take a 70 / 30 split of Comedy to "Romance". Through the first hour roughly the film is filled with scenes of Bullock and Reynolds characters engaging in what seems to be unscripted ad-libbed dialogue in which neither actor can come up with anything really funny to say. Which surprised me from Reynolds, I usually find his sharp and mouthy comedic style sort of funny, but not so much in this film. Bullock is more known for her slap stick approach to comedy and there are a few moments of that in this film, that work. Comedy enthusiast don't let me scare you completely there were funny moments; any scene with Betty White's character is one to watch close. She, in my opinion made the comedy aspect of the film. Although I did feel as though most jokes or physical comedy scenes lasted a touch too long, to the point where the action stopped being funny and just became boring.
As for the romance portion of the "Romantic-Comedy", I can't really say there was any. There are scenes where we see the two lead actors divulge personal information to one another, but no real sense of the passion and desire that come to mind when I think of romance. Of course there is the public kissing scene these types of movies love to do, but honestly is there anything that romantic about kissing in front of strangers? When you see couples purposefully kiss in public areas to "prove their love" do you think how sweet or more likely do you just not care? Offered, instead of romance, there was a lingering dramatic feeling stuffed into the films atmosphere much like a pungent silent fart on a crowded elevator. And much like the fart you're left not really understanding where this came from, or why someone would think it was okay to do this; and ultimately just wanting it to go away as quick as possible.
So like most cross breed films, I feel it suffered from the Jekyll / Hyde duality. The unsuccessful fusion of two opposing film genres. The comedy aspect in the last 30 to 40 minutes of the film is lost to the "Romance", (although worth mentioning if you see this film, watch the credits they did try to make it up there) and there was no real romance to speak of, especially in the first hour. But because I enjoyed Betty White so much, and because this film mostly fits the mold of the cross genre, I'd rate this DVD Rent for $1 or Less