DVD Munch: The Proposal

Here comes a romantic comedy about marriage with a twist. Instead of marriage being what are two main characters are striving for, it is a bond that they are desperately trying to get out of. “The Proposal” humorously presents a new way of looking at what it means to be attached to somebody, without ever getting too serious.

We are immediately introduced to our two leads and how different they are. Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, a pushy and demanding book editor who runs on her treadmill every morning and reads scripts while eating breakfast. Her assistant, Andrew Paxton (played by Ryan Reynolds) can’t get up on time and while running into the office spills coffee all over himself. Margaret finds out that she will be deported to Canada so in order to keep her in the US she blackmails Andrew into marrying her to keep her Visa status. To make it look real and announce their engagement, they fly to Alaska to tell Andrew’s parents. To add to the pressure of the relationship, they are threatened with jail time if this proves to be a plot to keep Margaret in the states.

Once Andrew’s family finds out about their engagement, they want them to be married by the end of the weekend at their home. The wedding festivities begin—complete with

Bridal shower lap dances and hand-me-down dress fittings. As they are both bombarded with family members, Andrew and Margaret desperately try to stand one another all while faking a loving, lasting relationship.

To no surprise, Reynolds and Bullock have wonderful chemistry. Bullock plays a tight-lipped and tightly dressed boss perfectly, never letting her guard down for one moment. Even until the very end of the film, she stubbornly protects her feelings. Reynolds plays Andrew so confidently that you don’t really know why he continues to be bossed around; almost always slightly sarcastic, he brings a youthful and witty charm to the screen.

They don’t end up getting married, but after spending a weekend together forcing emotions, they actually develop feelings for one another. The last scene in the film has the predictable kiss that is part of every romantic comedy. Andrew tells Margaret that they must get married so that they can date-or else she will be deported. Those are some interesting terms, perhaps a new way to look at the bond of marriage? Not only does “The Proposal” endorse divorce, because that is their easy way out, but it makes it seem that it isn’t the kind of bond that is supposed to be “forever” anyway.

I enjoy that the film never tries to be something that it isn’t. It is simple and has fun making fun of itself, all while slowly opening the characters up. Unfortunately, the characters never really expose much of themselves so the final connection seems a bit far-fetched. But then again, so is forcing someone into marriage. If people can fall in love in three days and proposals can be the new way to date, I’m interested—and apparently there is always an easy way out.

There are many fun DVD extras that are worth taking a look at for “The Proposal”. The Alternate ending is definitely worth taking a look at. It is interesting to see how and why the film ended the way that it did. It is also comes with director and writer commentary which is perfect for understanding the choices made. For anyone that likes Deleted Scenes there are a couple of fun ones to take and look at and the “Set Antics” is great to watch because Reynolds and Bullock are so funny. There is also a feature for audio commentary by the director and writer for the entire film. Accompanied with this DVD comes the Digital Copy, therefore easily uploaded for on-the-go viewing.