Film Round-Up #32

Despite her acting talent, not to mention her undeniable aesthetic qualities, I hadn't really been much of a Sandra Bullock fan until recently. I'd seen a few films featuring her, sure, but I wasn't at the point where I would seek films out just because she was in them. Believe it or not, it was The Proposal that changed that, but I'm not really sure why (no, it wasn't her nude scene). Nonetheless, it did prompt me to watch some more films of hers for a Round-Up here. Some I'd seen before, others were new to me, but here are the ones I went for in this, the first of what will probably be two posts, maybe even three if you (or I?) are lucky!

Speed (1994)

This was, for those who had missed Demolition Man, the film that made many of us say "Crikey, who's that? What a hottie!" when first we laid eyes upon the lovely Ms. Bullock. The role that so enchanted us was that of Annie Porter, a passenger on the ill-fated bus that surely all of us know now so well? It's a film I had seen long ago but, while viewing it again for this post, there was a fair bit I had forgotten about, including the existence of some off-bus parts. Bullock features in all of them but the opening hostage scene that introduces Mr. Reeves as the courageous, risk-taking LAPD bomb disposal officer, Jack Traven, who ends up on the same speeding bus as Annie who, along with the rest of its passengers, is at the mercy of Dennis Hopper's mad bomber. All three stars are excellent in different ways but it's Bullock who stood out for many as the wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time passenger who is forced to take the wheel and somehow keep her cool while keeping the bus above 50mph through busy roads and, implausibly, over an unfinished section of an elevated freeway. Aside from that ridiculous stunt though, the film has aged splendidly... 8/10

Miss Congeniality (2000)

I first saw this one long ago, about the time it came out I guess, and I didn't think that much of it. This wasn't due to the premise - female FBI agent has to go undercover at a beauty pageant to (hopefully) catch a terrorist - there is lots of comedy potential there. The part I always found silly was the notion of Grace's (Bullock) participation in the pageant being so laughable to her friends and colleagues. Why's that? Yes, they made her hair a bit scraggly and she isn't the most elegant person around, but she's clearly ultra-hot, even if she's likely to knee you in the balls if she hears you say so. Aside from that, it's actually a little better than I remember. It's full of cliches of course, both in terms of characters and dialogue, and some parts are very silly, but there are also some genuinely funny moments (favourite date?) and Ms. Bullock does pretty well, all things considered. Her support is okay generally, with Michael Caine a standout, and it's great to see Bill Shatner and Ernie Hudson again. Far from a classic but it's at least better than I remember... 6/10

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

I originally watched this one many moons ago because of Hugh Grant rather than Ms. Bullock but it soon became one of my favourite roles of hers anyway. She stars as Lucy Kelson, a smart, idealistic lawyer who begins working for billionaire property developer, George Wade (Grant) as his Chief Counsel. She soon discovers, however, that the job is little more than a glorified personal assistant and the super-needy George quickly becomes too much so she quits, giving the titular period as her notice. It is accepted on the condition that she help find a suitable replacement, but naturally the period in question turns out to be more eventful than expected. It certainly isn't a role that demands that much of Bullock but she and Grant are both very appealing in their own ways and have great chemistry which is helped by some zippy dialogue and amusing one-liners. It's quite predictable of course, and offers virtually nothing new to the genre, but it's still difficult not to enjoy it thanks to the two stars. I've seen it 5 or 6 times now and it still makes me laugh... 8/10

The Proposal (2009)

I had avoided this one for a while as it looked like a typical, formulaic rom-com with nothing new to say. I can't remember what made me finally watch it recently but I soon found it was exactly what I had expected, but somehow I actually enjoyed it anyway! Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a successful, not to mention highly demanding (and Canadian) editor at a big New York publisher. Alongside her is Ryan Reynolds as Andrew, her rather put-upon assistant who finds himself taking her back to his family home in Alaska for a planned birthday weekend as his fiance due to a complication with her visa, even though he can't stand her of course. It's rather silly and very predictable stuff but the two stars are likeable enough and the supporting cast (including Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson and Betty White) are great. It's one of those films that you know isn't great - it's most famous for Ms. Bullock's silly nude scene than anything else (see above - sorry, I couldn't resist!) - but despite its lack of originality and slightly stale script, I still enjoyed it anyway, and you may too if you let yourself! I'll add it to the 'guilty pleasures' pile then! ... 7/10

All About Steve (2009)

I have always been a bit picky with comedies but one starring Bradley Cooper and Thomas Hayden Church alongside Ms. Bullock can't be bad, surely? Sadly, I was not prepared for how wrong I could be. Bullock plays Mary, a strange and socially awkward crossword puzzle writer who, after messing up a blind date with Steve (Cooper), decides to stalk him all around the country (he's a news cameraman) in the hopes of winning his affection. Staggeringly, her efforts do not pay off, but she persists anyway. You might think he, or indeed any number of guys, would be keen to at least slip her one given how desperate she clearly is (it's not like she isn't hot after all), but no one could've been prepared for how intensely annoying Mary is, and not even in a 'laugh at her' kind of way either. This makes the Razzie award that Bullock received puzzling as she isn't annoying in real life as far as I know, meaning she did a decent job, it's just a shame that the 'job' in question is such an awful, annoying character. Cooper and Hayden Church are okay but this is a dreadful film... 2/10

I've already seen a couple more Bullock films since these so expect another post fairly soon. Well, eventually anyway!