"The Stepfather" and "The Proposal"

IN THEATERS

Out this week is the thriller, “The Stepfather.” Penn Badgley of “Gossip Girl” stars as Michael Harding who has just returned home from military school to find that his mom has gotten a new boyfriend, David. His younger siblings have taken immediate liking to their new father figure and his mother in particular is head over heels. If only Michael was able to share the same feelings. While all the people around him have nothing but good things to say about him, Michael feels something is off about his new stepfather and is determined to take matters into his own hands in figuring out the truth of David’s past.

This one has been promoted pretty heavily, such as most of these PG-13 teen thriller movies are. And Penn Badgley alone, having been such a hit on “Gossip Girl,” is sure to bring some of his young admiring female fans into the theater. It looks to be a pretty standard thriller-type movie with teen scares and mild plot twists. Anything else would be a surprise from movies like these. Not to say that this one might not be good, but it’s hard to say if it will be great.

Prediction: It should make the top three at the box office.

ON DVD

Out this week on video is the comedy, “The Proposal.” Sandra Bullock stars as Margaret, an icy cold book editor who has recently found out that her visa status has expired and she is about to be shipped back to Canada. So in a desperate attempt to keep her position at work, she forces her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to fake being engaged to her so she can stay put. When the government begins to get involved suspecting fraud, the two are cornered into visiting his family in Alaska in order to fully sell the story. What ensues is a comedic struggle between a “couple” that must pretend to be in love so as to back up their relationship and all the future plans they have together.

We all know how these stories begin with two unlikely people thrown together under unusual circumstances where a love blossoms that surprises both. Bullock and Reynolds both play good parts here and do give off a lighthearted chemistry that audiences clearly enjoyed over the summer when it was released in theaters. It made around $163 million, so clearly audiences loved the two together. And with somewhat of a dull summer movie season, this one definitely stuck out at least, as far as the comedies went.

The only slight annoyance was that Bullock’s character at the beginning of the movie was very reminiscent of Meryl Streep’s in “The Devil Wears Prada,” especially the opening scene where it almost seems as though it was copied. So as the story usually goes, the icy queen sheds her tough outer shell and shows everyone the vulnerable and sweet person that is underneath. Bullock was able to pull off the tough boss lady character quite well, though, and we all know how charming she’s able to be when she gets to play the quirky and cute girl next door. This movie just encompasses both. She’s one of those actresses that you can try not to like, but usually ends up winning you over at the end of the day.

It’s a good rental for those who missed it in the theaters or are a fan of romantic comedies. And Reynolds seems to be an up-and-coming actor who is in more and more movies each year. So with Bullock’s following and Reynold’s growing fan base, it’s obvious why it did so well.

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