Just Because: The Proposal

'Well, now, do you prefer being called Margaret or Satan's mistress?'

Grandma Annie

Like so many of you, it seems that Betty White has always been a part of my life.  I used to love watching The Golden Girls with my mother when I was a kid.  It was one of her favorite shows, and it became a Saturday night tradition to watch together.  I think I enjoyed watching her watch the show, more than the show itself.  

I actually preferred White on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which I discovered when I got older. A retro channel used to air both MTM and Rhoda on Friday nights when I was in university.  I was rarely home to watch them, but loved getting home late, usually buzzed with some leftover Chinese food, and watch them as I feel asleep.

I wasn't really sad hearing about White's death.  In addition to being 99, she also lived a life so few achieve.  Her success, especially later in life, was as much about who she was as it was the projects she appeared in.  I loved White, but have yet to really watch a full episode of Hot In Cleveland.  I've also not seen a lot of her early work.  I did however, always try to catch her talk show appearances.  There was something always so comforting about seeing her, and the memories of watching with my  mother when I was a kid.

One of my favorite of her later roles was as Grandma Annie in 2009's  The Proposal.  The film wasn't by any means great, it was your paint by numbers romantic comedy.  What sold it was the cast.  White was adorable with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds and each of them sold every scene, no matter how formulaic the writing. 

I watched a bit of the film on-demand this past weekend and was struck by how incredibly handsome Ryan Reynolds was in the film.  Forgive the clunky  segue from Betty White to male skin, but this is FH...  For some odd reason, I wasn't really into Reynolds when I first saw this film.  Sure, I thought he was cute, but I'd mostly seen him playing goofy frat guys.  Even when he displayed a little on-screen nudity, like in Buying The Cow, I saw him more as cute and funny, more than sexy

'Why are you wet???'

Re-watching a bit of The Proposal set me straight.  Dressed or undressed, he was so hot and engaging as Andrew.  Even the clunky nude scene was sold by Reynolds and Bullock and I especially loved that 'wet splat' when their naked bodies smacked together.  Thanks Betty White for inspiring a re-watch.  Next on MTM!