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Movies / Upcoming / The Proposal
The Proposal

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The Proposal (2009)

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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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Proposal

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121 - 140 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Romantic comedy fans will get what they want and, at least this time, those pleasures are a little less guiltier than usual.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
06/18/09
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

Parental Content Review

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment 1 Comment
06/18/09
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!

Yet another formulaic romantic comedy, with little to offer except sparkling performances from Bullock and Reynolds.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
06/18/09
Jette Kernion
Jette Kernion
Cinematical

has fleeting moments of hilarity and charisma, but ultimately falls flat as a romance, comedy and drama with an inane, sitcom-ish, uninspired and lazy screenplay along with sloppy editing and direction.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
06/18/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

The Proposal's a fairly good-natured but weak proposition -- it's a movie you might enjoy on an evening's date, but it's not one you'll want to spend the rest of your life with.

Full Review Source: Redbox | comment Comment
06/18/09
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Redbox

...may not be the worst romantic comedy ever made, but it surely is one of the most unnecessary...plays like a patchwork of everything from "Men in Trees" to "Chuck and Larry."

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
06/18/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

The Proposal coasts along on likability, right up to its standard-issue ending; what it doesn't do is surprise us in any way.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/18/09
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Though it falls short of winning our hearts completely, The Proposal is a serviceable and intermittently funny romance made enjoyable by the sparks between Bullock and Reynolds.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
06/18/09
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

And though Bullock and Reynolds have snappy chemistry to spare, their love affair stops just shy of being believable. There are too many awkward 'tender' moments and not enough vigor for a real romance.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
06/18/09
Kara Nesvig
Kara Nesvig
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Hinging on the far fetched premise that if you put two people with zero chemistry in a room together long enough, they'll inevitably fall in love with each other, the movie is stolen away by Oscar Nunez's multi-tasking paunchy male stripper grocery clerk.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
06/18/09
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Surprisingly charming and smartly executed.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
06/18/09
Mack Bates
Mack Bates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Despite sparkling performances by Ryan Reynolds and Denis O'Hare, this derivative story has been made into too many movies not to be stale.

Full Review Source: Tolucan Times | comment Comment
06/18/09
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
Tolucan Times

Never underestimate the pleasure of a sparkly screwball comedy - and a fluffy puppy.

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
06/18/09
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

Why a screenwriter would think hilarity would ensue from this premise is anybody’s guess.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
06/18/09
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

Given the plot summary, you have to admit that anything better than 'I took my own life halfway through the screening' is impressive.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 2 Comments
06/18/09
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The problem is not the acting. The problem is what these actors are required to say and do.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
06/18/09
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune

At every turn where The Proposal could have seemingly gone in a less obvious direction, it just puts on the blinders and forges ahead with the cliches of this genre.

Full Review Source: AskMen.com | comment Comment
06/18/09
Rick Mele
Rick Mele
AskMen.com

All this predictable, romantic/screwball comedy really has to do is supply us with a steady supply of laughs. And in that regard, the film succeeds.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
06/18/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Just looking at the poster for The Proposal, a by-the-numbers romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, tells you exactly how it's all gonna go down.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
06/18/09
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A romantic comedy so numbing it feels like Novocaine.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment 1 Comment
06/18/09
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
 
 
121 - 140 (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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