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The Proposal

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The Proposal (2009)

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Reviews Counted:176

Fresh:76

Rotten:100

Average Rating:5.3/10

Consensus: Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds exhibit plenty of chemistry, but they're let down by The Proposal’s devotion to formula.

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $163,900,057

Synopsis: THE PROPOSAL could have been a strictly script-by-numbers affair, but hilarious performances by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds improve this romantic comedy. Publishing powerhouse Margaret Tate... THE PROPOSAL could have been a strictly script-by-numbers affair, but hilarious performances by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds improve this romantic comedy. Publishing powerhouse Margaret Tate (Bullock, TWO WEEKS NOTICE) is used to getting her way. She bullies her ambitious assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds, DEFINITELY, MAYBE), earning the ire of all the underlings at Colden Books in New York City. But Margaret, a native Canadian, finds her career in jeopardy when she is denied a visa and learns she will be sent northward. She forces Andrew to become her fiancé, but she’ll have to take a trip home to Alaska with him to prove to U.S. Immigration that their impending union is genuine. What ensues is a combination of GREEN CARD, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, and GREEN ACRES, with the hell-in-heels boss trying to fake a romance with her assistant as she struggles to survive as a city girl in the country. However, THE PROPOSAL proves to be more than the sum of its parts; Bullock has been one of Julia Roberts’s successors to the America’s-sweetheart crown since she starred in SPEED, but this comedy has her challenging her image with hilarious ease. Reynolds--who could be just window-dressing with his good looks and easy charm--is an excellent foil who is just as adept with sarcasm as he is with a smile. The two stars are supported by an impressive cast, including Betty White as Andrew’s scheming 90-year-old grandmother, Craig T. Nelson as his disappointed father, and THE OFFICE’s Oscar Nunez as an ubiquitous resident of his hometown. THE PROPOSAL may offer few surprises in the way of plot, but the on-screen talent keeps the film feeling fresh. [More]

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Oscar Nunez

Director: Anne Fletcher

Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriter: Peter Chiarelli
Producer: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Proposal

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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The Proposal could have been a terrific screwball comedy, but the end results are well below average.

Full Review Source: The Australian | comment Comment
06/28/09
Evan Williams
Evan Williams
The Australian
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As one embarrassing scene follows another, The Proposal accumulates so many bad vibes that it becomes grimly compelling.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
06/21/09
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In the end, nothing can compensate for the fact that Bullock has been so diligent in ridding herself of any trace of niceness that she looks as if she's regretting the whole thing. Boredom doesn't suit her and a romcom without charm just doesn't rate.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
06/19/09
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

this is sort of an object lesson in what's wrong with comedy today. The first 15, maybe 20 minutes of this film was really promising... And then it all falls apart because they bring in all these silly, farcical things.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
06/17/09
David Stratton
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Anne Fletcher knows where the comedy lies in an improbable but cute screenplay by Peter Chiarelli, it’s in her two stars and she lets them fly.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
06/17/09
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Proposal works up such a fun vibe that you couldn’t care less about the contrived schematics of its story.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment Comment
06/17/09
Leigh Paatsch
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The stars aren't going to erase memories of Hepburn and Tracy, or Lombard and Powell, but Bullock and Reynolds — even when playing a naked bathroom scene together — make a good fit.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
06/17/09
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sandra Shock: Bullock partners well with Ryan Reynolds, their romcom strengths sailing above any of the weaker options put forward by this decent Proposal.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
06/16/09
Hilton Thomas
Hilton Thomas
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The lure of Reynolds' and Bullock's nude scene together is sure to fill cinema seats (and raise a smile), but the other 106 minutes of The Proposal prove utterly forgettable.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
06/16/09
Liz Graham
Liz Graham
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's contrived and predictable, formulaic and derivative, yet The Proposal has its own charm. Star charisma is part of it, but there's an interesting dynamic between the two leads. The set up is fun, too.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/12/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not awful, certainly not memorable and - despite the words of at least one quote whore - it's not "the year's best comedy."

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
11/02/09
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

a morass of clichés

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/31/09
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Tailored to fit Sandra Bullock more snugly than the antique wedding gown altered for the star during the final act, the film begins to fall apart at the seams after its focus wanders from its promising screwball premise...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
10/30/09
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Bullock is totally at home in this territory, and she remains fun to watch, but I do wish she would get stronger, possibly more original comedic material.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
10/20/09
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Unfortunately, this winning team is stuck in a dumb vehicle.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/16/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The Proposal doesn't blaze any new ground, but it doesn't raze any old ground either. It's a solid, old-fashioned romantic comedy that's more interested in the romance than in being silly or raunchy. These days, that's refreshing enough.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/10/09
James Plath
James Plath
DVDTown.com

It's obviously formula stuff, and follows that formula so earnestly that at points you'll wince more than swoon (why does every big proclamation of love in the final scenes need to be made in public?).

Full Review Source: Florida Times-Union | comment Comment
09/10/09
Matt Soergel
Matt Soergel
Florida Times-Union

There is something to be said for such a relentlessly by-the-numbers chick flick programmer that is nonetheless a breezily enjoyable sit.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
08/31/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

I was engaged by the fiery chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment 1 Comment
08/03/09
Jolene Mendez
Jolene Mendez
Entertainment Spectrum

The sight of Bullock doing a rap dance with granny in the woods is a traumatising experience.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment 2 Comments
07/28/09
Cosmo Landesman
Cosmo Landesman
Sunday Times (UK)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for The Proposal

June 26, 2009: Submit to the RT Show and Earn a Cool $100
Time for the weekly update, folks. As always, thanks to everyone who has submitted reviews and helped contribute to the show. Every week, we continue to bring you a lively,... More...

June 22, 2009: Watch RT on Current TV
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...

June 22, 2009: Box office: Australia accepts Sandra's Proposal
Proof of the power of the cougar-com in this season of blockbuster action and low-brow man-movies, Sandra Bullock's The Proposal mirrored its US success and wooed Australian... More...

June 21, 2009: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Can't Refuse Bullock's Proposal.
Sandra Bullock showed North America who's boss with her return to romantic comedy in The Proposal which gave the actress the biggest opening of her career and her first number... More...

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