The Proposal (2009) - Bullock, Reynolds & Co. make this cookie cutter romcom work

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+ Best On-Screen Couple of the Year: Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds + Best Romcom of the Year

 

Two beloved Hollywood stars in a twinkle-eyed proposal on this poster for Anne Fletcher's The Proposal

A zealous New York editor gets into a clinch with the immigration authorities, because she is from Canada. To get out of the situation, she makes her personal assistant her fiancée. 

 

The Proposal is written by Peter Chiarelli (Crazy Rich Asians (2018)) and directed by Anne Fletcher (Step Up (2006)).

It is a thoroughly charming and well-made crowd-pleaser romcom. There's never any doubt about the direction of the at first professional boss/employee relationship at the film's core, and the road there might not be packed with surprises, but the stars sell the film in role model fashion nevertheless:

Ryan Reynolds (Red Notice (2021, VoD)) is cute-as-pie here, and Sandra Bullock (Bird Box (2018, VoD)) is full of wonderful facial expressions and seems perfect for this part. Betty White (Bones 2015-17)) is the film's funny third leg, and she also brings a lot of life and joy to The Proposal, along with Mary Steenburgen (Grace and Frankie (2020, TV-series)) and Oscar Nuñes (Mr. Iglesias (2019-20)), who is hilarious as the character Ramone.

The entire plot part about the immigration agent pursuing the 'couple' with grotesque questions is (of course) completely unrealistic, - but the film's other qualities weigh out this issue with aplomb.

 

Related posts:

 

Anne Fletcher: The Guilt Trip (2012) - Rogen/Streisand buoy low-fuel road dramedy

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV] 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 40 mil. $

Box office: 317.3 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 7.93 times the cost)

[The Proposal premiered 1 June (Hollywood) and runs 108 minutes. Julia Roberts was offered the lead but declined it. Shooting took place from April - June 2008 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The film opened #1 to a 33.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 4 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#3-#5-#5), grossing 163.9 mil. $ (51.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 19.2 mil. $ (6.1 %) and Germany with 18.5 mil. $ (5.8 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. It made in excess of 90 mil. $ on the North-American home video market. Fletcher returned with The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010, segment) and theatrically with The Guilt Trip (2012). Bullock returned in All About Steve (2009); Reynolds in Paper Man (2009). The Proposal is rotten at 45 % with a 5.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Proposal?

The Guilt Trip (2012) - Rogen/Streisand buoy low-fuel road dramedy

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Barbra Streisand pinches Seth Rogen's cheek in a car on this poster for Anne Fletcher's The Guilt Trip

A physicist inventor plans a pitching trip through several American states, and when he learns that he was named after his mother's great lost love, who resides in San Francisco, he invites her to join him on the trip.

 

The Guilt Trip is written by Dan Fogelman (Tangled (2010)) and directed by Anne Fletcher (Step Up (2006)).

As you may realize from the plot outline above, this film's title may be catchy, but it isn't very pertinent to the actual film, since it is curiosity and love more than guilt which fuels this trip. Barbra Streisand (The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)) and Seth Rogen (Neighbors (2014)) fit each other as mother and son like a glove, and her sweet and intrusive interference in his life reaps chuckles and is (for me at least) easily recognizable.

The Guilt Trip is a sweet and good-natured film, although it gets near to the inconsequential in nature; both its dramatic and humorous elements could have benefited from a gear or two more. Still the stars make up to some degree and make this an enjoyable pastime.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 40 mil. $

Box office: 41.8 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 1.04 times its cost)

[The Guilt Trip was released 19 December (North America) and runs 95 minutes. The script was based on a real-life trip Fogelman took with his mother from New Jersey to Las Vegas. Shooting took place around May 2011 in Arizona, New Mexico, Memphis, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Nevada and in California, including Los Angeles. The film opened #6 to a 5.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 37.1 mil. $ (88.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 1.6 mil. $ (3.8 %) and the UK with 1.5 mil. $ (3.6 %). Fletcher returned with Hot Pursuit (2015). Streisand retired from acting again after the film; she has only since turned in a voice performance on an episode of Modern Family (2016); Rogen returned in 4 short and TV-series credits prior to his theatrical return in This Is the End (2013). The Guilt Trip is rotten at 37 % with a 5.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Guilt Trip?