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Movies / On DVD / The Proposal
The Proposal

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The Proposal (2009)

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Reviews Counted:11

Fresh:4

Rotten:7

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds exhibit plenty of chemistry, but they're let down by The Proposal’s devotion to formula.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:22-07-2009

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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1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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They may as well have called this one ‘Mis-Matched Sham Wedding Comedy #57513’ for all the effort it makes to shake new life out of a tattered genre.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/24/09
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite some fine performances and pretty scenery, The Proposal is predictable yet incredible, and devoid of any consistent tone. Better call off that wedding.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 1 Comment
07/24/09
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
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One minute you’re watching a 21st-century remake of His Girl Friday, the next you’re having to endure some awful, dumbed-down “women’s picture”. Bullock deserves better.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/24/09
Toby Young
Toby Young
Times [UK]
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Sandra Bullock is teamed up with Ryan Reynolds, and each star's face has a waxy immobility that has nothing to do with Botox; the pure awfulness of the script has paralysed their facial muscles.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/24/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The more recurrent noise towards the end was me groaning with disappointment, that a movie which had struck gold with its central matchmaking was succeeding so ruthlessly in taking the shine off.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
07/24/09
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite good moments and likable leads, this lacks both heart and humour in a confection that smacks of the over-familiar.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/24/09
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Proposal is just a good old-fashioned romance, one in which people actually bring out the best in one another rather than the worst. How novel is that?

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
06/19/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like most Hollywood romantic comedies these days, The Proposal is all about bringing a woman to her knees.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
06/19/09
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
06/18/09
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Diverting romantic antic about a sham engagement is sparked by the bright chemistry and comic timing of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
06/15/09
Kevin Lally
Kevin Lally
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/15/09
Brian Lowry
Brian Lowry
Variety
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1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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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