The Proposal



Sandra Bullock looks good, doesn't she? With that perfectly taut Hollywood brow, some might say that she looks far younger than a woman of 45. But let's be honest, she doesn't look 33, so playing a part in which she has to simper next to the boyish Ryan Reynolds demands almost total suspension of disbelief from a kindly audience.

True, she is his boss. Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a high-powered, suit-wearing publishing witch who, initially, enjoys the services of Andrew Paxton (Reynolds) as her assistant. He fetches her soy-milk cinnamon lattes, reminds her gently to call her immigration lawyer back and cancels plans to visit his family for his grandmother's 90th birthday when he is told of weekend work plans. Unhappily for Margaret, her fire breathing has to stop when she is told by her bosses that her visa has been denied and that US immigration is planning to immediately push her back over the border to Canada.

Given the title of the film, and a precedent set by Green Card, can any of you possibly guess what comes next? That's right, folks, poor old Andrew - who barely looks old enough to have graduated - is wheeled in as her fiancé. The choreographer-turned-director Anne Fletcher (ominously, of 27 Dresses fame) takes the opportunity to develop a pantomime cast from here and runs with it. First up is the dastardly immigration lawyer Mr Gilbertson (Denis O'Hare), whose threats to ruin this happy couple fall on deaf ears. To make a show of it, the pair head deep into Alaska for the aforementioned 90th birthday, which gives Fletcher the opportunity to pop Bullock in a pair of high heels and try to cajole laughs from us as she flails in the rugged, mountainous landscape. There are pine trees, lakes and eagles; you have half an eye on the lookout for a gun-toting Sarah Palin until you learn that the film was in fact shot in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Ah well, the plot is already riddled with unlikely developments. What's one more problem? Well, there are several more. Paxton's family are willing to overlook the age of their son's instantaneous new girlfriend, as well as the fact that they have only ever heard torturous things about her as his boss. Then there's a scene in which Margaret's phone is snatched by an eagle, an excruciating moment when both boss and employee run into each other naked, and a bit where Grandma Annie dons some kind of hybrid bird costume to chant around a bonfire in the woods.

Everything, of course, culminates when the big day is brought forward to the weekend at the request of both parents and grandmother. Mr Gilbertson himself watches with an experienced, cruel smile from the audience as Margaret leaves it right up until the crucial moment to confess their woebegone plot. There is more suspense in Toy Story. Of course, there follows the inevitable dawning on both Margaret and Andrew that for all their bickering, that wholesome Alaskan air has gone to their heads. Would you believe it, they've gone and fallen in love and want to genuinely get married. Oh, the deep irony of it all. "So let me see if I've got this right. You two are engaged again?" asks the indefatigable Mr Gilbertson.

On the upside, there is a touch of Lucille Ball to Bullock, who manages to covey emotions, such as surprise and sadness, despite that unmovable face. And Reynolds does deadpan well at points too, along with a youthful air of gormlessness that has followed him from his Van Wilder days. But together they generally look awkward. Most importantly, while we all know the outcome of your average Hollywood romantic comedy, for their part they're supposed to lighten our lives with some romance, preferably chucked in with a bit of comedy. And The Proposal's lack of chemistry and plodding script doesn't hold that end of the bargain at all.

smoneycoutts@thenational.ae

US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

THE SPECS

Aston Martin Rapide AMR

Engine: 6.0-litre V12

Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic

Power: 595bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh999,563

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Starfield
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
RIDE%20ON
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Hotel Data Cloud profile

Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The biog:

From: Wimbledon, London, UK

Education: Medical doctor

Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures 

Favourite animals: All of them 

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SQUADS

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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