Bullocks

[rockmarooned]

A few weeks back, when I was finding time to see The Blind Side due to its twin statuses as the only Best Picture nominee and the highest grossing 2009 movie I hadn't seen, I added The Proposal to my Netflix queue. This made a kind of sense because not only was The Proposal the third-highest grossing movie of 2009 that I hadn't seen (sorry, Ice Age

Comments

[wmetoile]

So The Proposal was actually filmed mostly in Massachusetts, which led to the production having to digitally replace the coastline behind the actors whenever you can see water. Because they're on the wrong side of the continent. That...boggles the mind. Was Vancouver so impossible?

I can't remember if I saw it with Amanda or Ali, but whoever it was, I recall both of us being vaguely ashamed that we even wanted to see it, and then quite let down by how mediocre it was even by our low standards. I'd successfully blocked out Oscar Nunez's participation, so thanks for that, and I totally agree that the "rom" part of the rom-com seems weirdly hostile and forced. I didn't ever really buy it. Mainly because of the age difference; I know Ryan Reynolds is only eight or nine years younger than Sandra Bullock, but he seems to belong to a completely different generation of actor and that made the pairing kind of odd. Ugh. Why is it so hard to make a really excellent romantic comedy?

And as to her comedic skills, did you like Miss Congeniality?

[rockmarooned]

And for all of that unconvincing digital trickery... what was the point of setting it in Alaska? Except for the mild gag of her not knowing that his family lives there, and to separate him from his family for the not at all compelling "family drama" portion of the film. Actually, even that doesn't really make sense -- it's supposed to show him distancing himself from his family, I guess, but ... they're rich, right? What exactly is so hard about going from Alaska to New York if you're rich? If his mom wanted to see him, she could easily... FLY TO NEW YORK. Probably first-class. Story-wise, there's no real reason for them not to be in just about any small coastal town.

I was actually sort of intrigued by Reynolds and Bullock, just because so often you get a 40ish guy with a girl in her twenties. But they didn't ever get on the same page. Reynolds has more chemistry with any of the three women in Definitely, Maybe, and he's not even very funny in that, either -- it's more on the bland side of the Reynolds spectrum

[wmetoile]

Yeah, I was kind of hesitant to come down on it because of the vast history of dudes paired with actresses that could be their daughters, but where I think something like Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd works, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds just doesn't. I bet Joseph Gordon-Levitt would pair well with someone like Catherine Keener or, I don't know, Halle Berry. Or Felicity Huffman + Ryan Gosling. Hmm.

I had this discussion with Marisa pre-Oscars - I am that person who doesn't like While You Were Sleeping, but I generally like Sandra Bullock. You should totally see Miss Congeniality, though. William Shatner and Candice Bergen are also very funny in it.

[maggith]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I am no blanket Sandra Bullock defender, but get yourself to the video store (or the netflix.com) and watch While You Were Sleeping! There was a period of my life where that was one my favorite movies, speaking of favorites changing by year. Not only is it set in Chicago (and filmed in the town next to mine) but it is genuinely amusing and the romance works and there are heartstrings to be pulled (Bullock's character is genuinely sad in a way you don't see often in romcoms - not comedy "sad," but humanly so, so that when all this happens to her, you feel invested in it). It is full of lovely performances, including a kooky old lady one (WAY better than Betty White) from the woman who played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins (you will recognize the voice). It is worth seeing.

I apologize for my over-use of parentheses.

[slightlyoffaxis]

This is not a well-thought-out or useful comment, but I <3 While You Were Sleeping AND Definitely, Maybe. Just wanted to throw out some support.

[aliwilliams]

I second While You Were Sleeping. Sometimes these days, with all the 27 Dresses and The Awful Truth, I wonder why it is I used to like romcoms. That was one that has only a fine dusting of cheese, just as it should.

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