No matter how much you covet success in New York publishing, walk away. Resist the temptation to marry your boss on a bribe, especially if she’s Canada’s answer to Anna Wintour.
The Proposal (2009)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for The Proposal
Every scene between Bullock and Reynolds only suggests how fine they might be in good circumstances.
Bullock is one of those actresses that help prove that, when done right, a romantic comedy can be a wonderfully satisfying thing.
[C]ontrived... shameless in its cheap pandering... descend[s] to its most slapsticky just as it's maybe about to touch on some genuine feeling as if it assumes its audience has the emotional maturity of a kindergartner...
It sounds like a faint recommendation, but trust me when I say that calling it "not terrible" is high praise indeed.
The Proposal is a standard-order, by-the-book romantic comedy that offers nothing remotely fresh or new while following a formula even neophytes know by heart.
You know every tinny beat and false note by heart, from the implausible setup to the sprint-to-the-airport finish.
With Ms. Bullock playing a lady only a polar bear could warm up to and Ryan Reynolds' exquisite balancing of the dynamics of the situation, this romantic comedy finds a sweet comfort level.
An old-fashioned romp reminiscent of the best of Doris Day and Rock Hudson!
Humor and romance are interspersed so predictably it's as if screenwriter Pete Chairelli were working from a rom-com checklist.
Director Anne Fletcher keeps the romantic comedy running with a bubbly spirit and a snappy pace.
Diverting romantic antic about a sham engagement is sparked by the bright chemistry and comic timing of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
A likeable romantic comedy featuring two charismatic leads who can’t quite escape the shackles of a predictable storyline.
The Proposal won’t catch any bouquets for originality, but in terms of a bended-knee pitch for the affections of women this romantic comedy pretty much pulls out all the stops.
It's doing the same old thing but seems to know it, and so does its best to find something new buried in those clichés.
It is about as pleasing a star-driven comedy as one could reasonably expect to open in wide release during the dog days of summer.
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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