Think "Taming of the Shrew Wears Prada."
The Proposal (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:177
Fresh:76
Rotten:101
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
Reviews for The Proposal
The script encases Margaret in rusted defenses from which it can't free her without awkward leaps and cheats.
Things all fit together, but the film does lack the creative spark behind classic rom coms like Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally.
[A] buoyant vehicle for Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, whose chemistry is a happy surprise.
Although The Proposal isn't a sweep-you-off-your-feet affair, Bullock and Reynolds make it a thoroughly charming engagement.
Nobody who ever attended a date movie will be surprised by what happens, but The Proposal has low expectations and good vibes in its favour.
The Proposal restores Sandra Bullock to comic glory. It's her best role since While You Were Sleeping.
As romantic comedies go, backed by its terrific leads and well-crafted script, this is easily the year's best.
It's the undeniable chemistry %u2013 both romantic and comedic %u2013 shared between Reynolds and Bullock that ultimately carries "The Proposal" over its mediocre, formulaic writing and predictable plotting.
Anne Fletcher has practically established herself as the anti-feminist, playing more to the hopeless ring chasers out there rather than those who might be insulted at the prospect of independent women needing a man in their lives to complete them.
[Bullock and Reynolds] should be a winning combination, but they're slightly out of synch here: she overplays the gags and he isn't given enough to do to.
Despite its less than original pedigree, The Proposal is a perfect example of a predictable, formulaic script elevated by fine acting and palpable chemistry.
The movie is a checklist of bad sitcom plots and generic romcom characters. But it's also funny and charming and cute.
The experience of watching 'The Proposal" is not unlike attending a performance from a cover band specializing in the songs of Billy Joel--both offer up the prospect of two hours of mind-numbing blandness without a single original element on display.
Know this: There are no original romantic comedies anymore, only original people in them. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds make The Proposal a lot better than it ought to be.
Fletcher's labored, downright desperate efforts at wringing laughs out of hopelessly stale material results in a series of entirely needless sequences...
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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