Review of The Proposal on DVD

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds Star in May-December Romance

Nov 10, 2009

Opposites attract in this funny romantic comedy about a female executive pretending an engagement to her younger male secretary.

Sandra Bullock (Crash, Miss Congeniality) portrays Margaret Tate, an aggressive book editor at a publishing house intent on keeping her job no matter what it takes.

Ryan Reynolds Plays An Executive Assistant

Margaret’s executive assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds of Just Friends), becomes her only means of salvation when immigration authorities threaten to deport her from New York City back to Canada. She forces him into a fake wedding engagement, knowing that he will agree to anything in order to advance his career. Selfish, methodical, independent Margaret sees nothing wrong with coercing her loyal assistant into this precarious arrangement that could land him in jail for fraud.

Complicating the situation further, Andrew has an immediate commitment to visit his family in Sitka, Alaska, to celebrate his grandmother’s 90th birthday. Bringing Margaret along with him so they can announce their sham engagement to the family, Andrew must negotiate relations between his pushy boss, determined immigration officer, angry father (Craig T. Nelson), permissive mother (Mary Steenburgen), outspoken grandmother (Betty White), and sweet ex-girlfriend (Malin Ackerman).

Much of the humor originates from their awkward engagement situation and Andrew’s newfound ability to get even with his oppressive boss after three years of enduring her abuse. There’s also the fish-out-of-water factor when the orphaned big-city woman tries to adjust to Andrew’s warm, friendly family and small-town life in Sitka. Bullock and Reynolds play well off each other, and generate some major laughs throughout the film. White also seems well suited to the role of the straight-talking grandma.

The only bonus feature included on the single-disc widescreen edition is audio commentary with director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli. As viewers might expect, Fletcher (27 Dresses) focuses mostly on the actors, locations, and shots in her discussion, while Chiarelli (Eagle Eye [co-producer]) talks about characters, words, and story.

The two chatter nearly non-stop through the commentary, describing each scene in detail, plus mentioning related anecdotes. Listening to their commentary while watching the movie provides a much better foundation for watching and enjoying the film a second time once the production secrets have been revealed.

Audio Commentary Highlights With Anne Fletcher and Peter Chiarelli

Bullock’s character, Margaret, first appears in a skin-tight, tailored black suit and high heels with her hair tied into a severe ponytail. In later scenes, she wears a bathrobe and boots with loose hair. Eventually she appear naked and wet from the shower. Chiarelli calls it a systematic “undressing” of Margaret as she becomes more and more involved with Andrew.

Chiarelli wrote Margaret as a nasty, controlling businesswoman who would undergo a major change in her life. He assumed that upon reading the script Bullock would ask him to tone the character down; instead she wanted Margaret to be even nastier.

Although most of the action takes place in Sitka, the actors never journeyed to Alaska for filming. A second unit shot some outdoor scenery in Sitka, but to save money, production occurred in Rhode Island and all around Massachusetts, plus additional scenes at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

Bullock got hypothermia from jumping into the ocean during two days of filming a dramatic rescue scene. Fletcher says the icy water and cold winter weather combined to present a significant challenge for Bullock’s scene in which she gets knocked out of a boat and waits in the water to be rescued.

The nude scene with Bullock and Reynolds was exactly as it seemed. Both actors agreed to bare it all as long as more was implied than actually shown. Fletcher praises them both for their bravery (and good bodies).

The beautiful estate used in The Proposal is an actual house in Massachusetts, and the barn used for the wedding scene resides on the actual property. However, the production team created facades that fit in front of the inside walls to create a more Alaskan feel and to protect the actual walls from damage during filming.

The copyright of the article Review of The Proposal on DVD in Romantic Comedy Films is owned by Leslie C. Halpern. Permission to republish Review of The Proposal on DVD in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.