The setup is formula, but Bullock and Reynolds supply surprising fizz and kick.
Comment
06/18/09
The Proposal (2009)
43
%
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... [More]
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson
Director: Anne Fletcher
Reviews for The Proposal
141 - 160 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bullock and Reynolds play off each other with a real zing and zeal, but the narrative journeys down an avenue so formulaic the viewer's heart shatters at the very realization of it.
06/18/09
Sluggish when it should be scintillating and sappy where it should be sardonic, this romantic comedy winds up more softball than screwball.
06/18/09
Following 27 Dresses, this is the second high-concept, low-impact, wedding-themed comedy in 18 months for choreographer-turned-director Anne Fletcher. It might be time to move on.
06/18/09
Were it not for the jangly screwball energy ... The Proposal would be just another desperate attempt to jam as many winning formula elements into one graceless package as possible.
06/18/09
Though there's definitely an audience for the story's increasingly sunny sweetness, the film sparks to life pretty much only when the estimable duo of Bullock and Reynolds bickers.
06/18/09
It's been made according to the chapter in the box-office manual labeled "summer counter-programming."
06/18/09
Oh Sandra Bullock, why do you do this to yourself?
06/18/09
The leads are appealing, the material familiar -- it adds a Front Page romantic angle to The Devil Wears Prada, and reworks ideas from Green Card.
06/18/09
Somehow, someone decided this rom-com needed less rom and more com -- a fatal mistake.
06/18/09
The Proposal recycles a plot that was already old when Tracy and Hepburn were trying it out. You see it coming from a great distance away. As it draws closer, you don't duck out of the way, because it is so cheerfully done, you don't mind being hit by it.
06/18/09
Top CriticA high gloss, studio Romcom with clichéd jokes and conflicts that are as uncontroversial as they are predictable, The Proposal is rooted in the most classical of conventions and still finds ways to be surprisingly enchanting.
06/18/09
Despite the fact The Proposal is predictable and stuffed with recycled schtick, it's surprisingly enjoyable and completely charming. If it was a baby, you'd want to pinch its little cheek -- it's that cute.
06/18/09
Did you ever notice that the best romantic comedies are often the cynical ones?
06/18/09
Regardless of the changes in setting and leading men, this is still Bullock running off the same old battery, and the fatigue is becoming increasingly difficult to cover up.
06/18/09
The Proposal could have been much smarter, and much hipper. Instead, it settles for silliness and sentimentality.
06/17/09
Bullock's longtime fans should be happy to see her fully engaged in a role that suits her and paired, at last, with her comic equal: Reynolds.
06/17/09
The chemical energy between Bullock and Reynolds is fresh and irresistible.
06/17/09
Classic screwball comedies knew how to get antagonistic lovers to fall for each other without having to resort to bathos; one wants to send first-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli to an all-day Howard Hawks film festival.
06/17/09
So we've got a prodigal son who has the chance to deal with his father issues and discover things about his heretofore evil boss. It's like a romantic-comedy cliché twofer.
06/17/09
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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