PICK OF THE WEEK
The Proposal
It’s a patented rom-com set up: uptight Canadian bitch-on-wheels book editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is threatened with deportation, so she blackmails her cute, long suffering assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in exchange for a promotion. Guess what happens when they visit his family in Alaska for the weekend? OK, so maybe this has been done before in films like Green Card and While You Were Sleeping, which also starred Bullock. Does it really matter? When the leads are as adorable as Bullock and Reynolds, it’s all about being funny. And yes, The Proposal has laughs aplenty because both leads have impeccable comic timing. She’s unflappable, until she becomes a fish out of water at his parent’s home. His facial expressions, which range from shock to snark to sly devil—sometimes all at once—are pricelessly funny. Watching this unlikely couple share a long fake story of their proposal told to a room full of family and friends is amusing. So is their naked encounter, although it is laboriously set-up. Even a scene that starts out silly—with Margaret chanting around a fire—turns sublime when she starts cutting loose. Sure, The Proposal is—like Andrew describes Margaret—as “subtle as a gun,” but watching these co-stars melt each other’s hearts is winning, especially for fans of the actors.
ALSO OPENING:
Food Inc.
This documentary about how meat and money meet in the supermarket may sound like the cinematic equivalent of a bran muffin (e.g., heathy, good for you)–especially for those who like popcorn movies–but its message about what you eat and where it comes from is important.
Herb and Dorothy
This wonderful documentary chronicles the efforts of the Vogels, a mild-mannered New York couple as they amass a remarkable collection (over 4,000 pieces!) of conceptual and minimalist art on a meager salary in their tiny rent controlled apartment. This engaging portrait of a remarkable couple proves that amateur collectors can take a labor of love hobby to an unprecedented level. Discovering unknowns and artists who were soon to be famous (like Christos and Chuck Close), the Vogels had an eye for talent that is as extraordinary as they are unpretentious. What is more, the collectors’ own works of art are rather impressive, too. Herb and Dorothy’s joy will extend to audiences, who are sure to find the collection as special as its owners.
Year One
Jack Black and Michael Cera star in this Stone Age comedy directed by funnyman Harold Ramis.
AroundPhilly Staff
