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Movies / On DVD / The Proposal
The Proposal

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The Proposal (2009)

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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.

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

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Reviews for The Proposal

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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...formula filmmaking at its coldest...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
06/22/09
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Cookie-cutter characters inhabit a paper-thin plot while being helplessly propelled to a cliché climax.

Full Review Source: Tri-City Herald | comment Comment
06/22/09
Gary Wolcott
Gary Wolcott
Tri-City Herald

By its own modest aims, it's not horrible ...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
06/22/09
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It simply doesn't give this screwball premise the workout it deserves.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment 2 Comments
06/21/09
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National

As one embarrassing scene follows another, The Proposal accumulates so many bad vibes that it becomes grimly compelling.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
06/21/09
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)

Just like Up, the first 20 minutes is the best part, and that's about where the comparisons stop. They had the pieces in place for The Proposal but it slowly fell apart.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
06/21/09
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

Sandra Bullock is the paragon of a romantic comedy heroine ... So why does she find herself the star power behind so many romcom stinkers?

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
06/20/09
Beverly Berning
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net

The "here comes the bribe" relationship between these two likable personalities mirrors that of an ice cream cone that starts off freezing cold and then deliciously melts from the sizzling summer heat.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
06/20/09
Keith Cohen
Keith Cohen
Entertainment Spectrum

Even though I was able to figure out the ending just based on my knowledge of romantic comedies, the film still delivered decent laughs and good chemistry.

Full Review Source: BDK Reviews | comment Comment
06/19/09
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

Bullock and Reynolds play against type well, and their spicy chemistry is contagious. But while the leads are doing their thing, Betty White slips in and steals the movie.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
06/19/09
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

When White and Bullock are on screen together, they click in a way that makes this predictable film shine.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment 2 Comments
06/19/09
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

It's about a guy who has to be blackmailed into marrying Sandra Bullock? Blackmailed? He'd have to be married to Scarlett Johansson for that to be realistic.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment 2 Comments
06/19/09
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

Instead of being about dinosaurs and time warps, it's about gags that were old when dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
06/19/09
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

A hollow proposal though Reynolds proves he's got the chops for comedy.

Full Review Source: Illinois Times | comment Comment
06/19/09
Charles Koplinski
Charles Koplinski
Illinois Times

Thanks to casting and chemistry, this is the first great romantic comedy of the summer.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment 3 Comments
06/19/09
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

Bullock and Reynolds' chemistry propels charming romcom.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
06/19/09
Sandie Angulo Chen
Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media

It's impossible to guess why Bullock was ever attracted to this insulting role, and the eternally confident Reynolds is miscast as a young, bullied underling.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
06/19/09
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Shamelessly derivative, contrived and predictable, The Proposal is nonetheless a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment 2 Comments
06/19/09
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

A mostly harmless, completely unsurprising romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
06/19/09
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

There are spit-takes and lies; small dogs and mishaps. And, to cap it off, an impassioned dash to the airport. Seriously.

Full Review Source: Washington City Paper | comment Comment
06/19/09
Tricia Olszewski
Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK 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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