The Proposal Trailer

A better comedy than romance, "The Proposal" can't ever quite get over the forced premise of unlikely love blossoming under the gun. But genuine laughs are more than the romantic comedy genre has seen in awhile, and the movie gets them thanks to its charismatic leads. Bullock rises to the challenge of less than ideal casting, layering her bitch goddess with the requisite neuroses and inner warmth, while Reynolds squirms under pressure like a pro. Both the actors and characters are equally matched, a virtue that's especially evident as Margaret and Andrew square off in a series of power games during the film's opening stretch. "The Proposal" gets sillier, and more conventional, the longer it runs; padded with too many sequences (a visit to an Alaskan male stripper; tribal chanting in the woods) that would've been better off as deleted scenes on the DVD. The supporting cast is also wasted—White makes the strongest impression with her trademark old lady spunk—missing obvious opportunities to heighten the dramatic and comedic stakes. Still, romantic comedy fans will get what they want and, at least this time, those pleasures are a little less guiltier than usual.

$34.1 M