Review in a Hurry: Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds get naked. Need any other reason to see this cinematic matrimony of The Devil Wears Prada and Meet the Parents? Sweet, silly Proposal practically gets on bended knee and begs you to engage, so you might as well say "I do."
The Bigger Picture: If you like your rom-coms as traditional (i.e., predictable) as a generic white wedding, you'll wanna join the guest list for The Proposal, which takes every expected step in its walk down the aisle. But the two lovebirds are so appealing you can't help but get swept up in the joy of the event.
After drowning in treacly dreck like The Lake House, Bullock is back in fine comedic form as Margaret Tate, an Anna Wintour of sorts at a New York publishing house. Faced with deportation to her native Canada, this high-powered editor in pencil skirts and stiletto heels bribes her abused assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), into being her fiancé.
As part of the charade, and with a suspicious immigration official monitoring their moves, the unlikely couple head to Andrew's small Alaska hometown to meet his family and announce their engagement. Of course, the frosty relationship between cold-blooded boss and embittered underling soon thaws, and Bullock deftly makes Margaret's warm-up both amusing and affecting, especially as she's conflicted by the consequences of her snowballing sham.
The pic piles up clichés like so much plowed slush: the awkward meet-and-greet with kooky in-laws, the typical fish-outta-water jokes, and—king of them all—the climactic sprint to the airport. (Can we please retire that one?)
But plenty of laugh lines and the irresistible coupling of the charismatic leads help overcome—or at least distract you from—the many plot contrivances. Betty White proves a scene-stealer as feisty Grandma Annie, as does The Office's Oscar Nuñez, who assumes the role of "exotic" dancer and other, um, positions.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Some of the lamer, more slapsticky gags—Bullock battling a hungry hawk and boogying around a campfire—feel like they belong in a different comedy. Perhaps The Sarah Palin Story.
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