Romantic comedy fans will get what they want and, at least this time, those pleasures are a little less guiltier than usual.
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
Yet another formulaic romantic comedy, with little to offer except sparkling performances from Bullock and Reynolds.
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.
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.
...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."
The Proposal coasts along on likability, right up to its standard-issue ending; what it doesn't do is surprise us in any way.
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.
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.
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.
Despite sparkling performances by Ryan Reynolds and Denis O'Hare, this derivative story has been made into too many movies not to be stale.
Never underestimate the pleasure of a sparkly screwball comedy - and a fluffy puppy.
Why a screenwriter would think hilarity would ensue from this premise is anybody’s guess.
Given the plot summary, you have to admit that anything better than 'I took my own life halfway through the screening' is impressive.
The problem is not the acting. The problem is what these actors are required to say and do.
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.
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.
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.
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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