Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

52 [Rec] 2
xx 12th & Delaware
xx 180° South
90 45365
55 8: The Mormon Proposition
xx Accidents Happen
62 After the Cup: The Sons of Sakhnin United
36 After.Life
73 Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, The
55 Agora
82 Ajami
77 Alamar
78 Anton Chekhov's The Duel
63 Around a Small Mountain
57 Audrey the Trainwreck
xx Badmaash Company
xx Barking Water
75 Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
62 Behind the Burly Q
63 Best Worst Movie
31 Black Waters of Echo's Pond, The
35 Boogie Woogie
64 Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin
xx Brotherhood
24 Burzynski
51 Butcher's Son, The
xx Ca$h
67 Cairo Time
59 Cartel, The
68 Casino Jack and the United States of Money
37 Charlie St. Cloud
xx Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This
48 Chloe
66 City Island
52 City of Your Final Destination, The
56 Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
58 Concert, The
xx Contenders, The
xx Convention
71 Countdown to Zero
83 Crazy Heart
51 Creation
xx Cremaster Cycle, The
73 Cropsey
73 Cyrus
74 Daddy Longlegs
64 Disappearance of Alice Creed, The
73 Dogtooth
50 Don McKay
66 Double Take
47 Dry Land, The
67 Eclipse, The
85 Exit Through the Gift Shop
56 Extra Man, The
75 Farewell
76 Father of My Children, The
30 Finding Bliss
38 Flipped
52 Formosa Betrayed
60 Fresh
xx Fruit Fly
53 Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema
43 George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead
76 Get Low
68 Ghost Bird
77 Ghost Writer, The
68 Girl on the Train, The
66 Girl Who Played with Fire, The
xx Gone with the Pope
40 Good Heart, The
69 Good, The Bad, The Weird, The
49 Great Directors
45 Greatest, The
76 Greenberg
59 Handsome Harry
24 Happiness Runs
73 Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suess
55 Harry Brown
80 Have You Heard From Johannesburg?: Apartheid and the Club of the West
57 Here and There
xx Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger
51 Holy Rollers
54 Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
32 Human Centipede (First Sequence), The
79 I Am Love
91 I Was Born, But...
33 In My Sleep
60 Infidel, The
67 It Came From Kuchar
74 Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
79 Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
57 John Rabe
55 Joneses, The
55 Juche Idea, The
65 Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D
86 Kids Are All Right, The
53 Killer Inside Me, The
53 Killing Kasztner
44 Kimjongilia
xx Kings of the Evening
68 Kisses
62 Kites: The Remix
47 La Mission
xx Last Letters from Monte Rosa
xx Law, The
63 Lbs.
xx Le amiche
58 Leaves of Grass
87 Lebanon
72 Let It Rain
70 Life During Wartime
41 Lightkeepers, The
76 Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
37 Living Wake, The
66 Looking for Eric
72 Lottery, The
37 Love Ranch
86 Mademoiselle Chambon
xx Malice in Wonderland
46 Mercy
78 Messenger, The
47 Metropia
62 Micmacs
75 Mid-August Lunch
60 Middle Men
54 Misfortunates, The
64 Mother and Child
75 Mugabe and the White African
35 Multiple Sarcasms
65 Mundo Alas
xx My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
50 My Name is Khan
41 Nature of Existence, The
71 Neshoba: The Price of Freedom
xx Nightfall
71 No One Knows About Persian Cats
59 Nobody’s Perfect
72 Oath, The
xx Ocean of Pearls
65 Ondine
59 Only When I Dance
58 OSS 117: Lost in Rio
xx Oxford Murders, The
37 Paper Man
63 Parking Lot Movie, The
68 Patrik Age 1.5
40 People I've Slept With, The
42 Perfect Game, The
47 Perrier's Bounty
48 Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies
78 Please Give
31 Pornography: A Thriller
41 Princess Kaiulani
90 Prophet, A
xx Raajneeti
67 Raavan
78 Racing Dreams
xx Ramchand Pakistani
xx Red Birds
63 Reel Injun
85 Restrepo
xx Road, Movie
45 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead
xx Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
43 Salt of This Sea
81 Secret in Their Eyes, The
81 Secret of Kells, The
73 See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary
57 Severe Clear
57 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
52 Shine of Rainbows, A
48 Sicilian Girl, The
77 Single Man, A
68 Smash His Camera
69 Solitary Man
45 South of the Border
56 Spoken Word
47 Spring Fever
75 Square, The
22 Standing Ovation
75 Stonewall Uprising
53 Tales from the Script
74 Terribly Happy
78 Teza
75 That Evening Sun
xx They Came to Play
49 Thorn in the Heart, The
xx Thru the Moebius Strip
60 TiMER
64 Tirador
15 To Age or Not to Age
52 Touching Home
33 Trash Humpers
59 Trotsky, The
xx Trust Us, This Is All Made Up
24 Twelve
56 Two in the Wave
62 Valhalla Rising
85 Vincere
xx Visionaries
54 Wah Do Dem
70 Warlords, The
56 What's the Matter with Kansas?
55 When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors
68 Whiz Kids
52 Who Do You Love
35 Who Killed Nancy
64 Wild Grass
xx Wild Hunt, The
56 Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, The
69 Winnebago Man
90 Winter's Bone
68 Women Without Men
xx World on a Wire

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Proposal, The

EMAILPRINTTouchstone Pictures (Disney)

Proposal, The reviews
48
7.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 82 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy

Written by: Peter Chiarelli

Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 19, 2009
DVD: October 13, 2009

Running Time: minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language

Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelsonn, Mary Steenburgen, Denis O'Hare, and Betty White

When high-powered book editor Margaret faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew, who she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences. (Touchstone Pictures, Disney)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The chemical energy between Bullock and Reynolds is fresh and irresistible.

Read Full Review >
80

The Hollywood Reporter Kevin Lally

The situations might be formulaic, but the teamwork of the two leads brings them to sparkling life.

Read Full Review >
75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

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.

Read Full Review >
75

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Hilarious fun.

Read Full Review >
75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

May be well-trod territory, but worth a walk down the movie aisle.

Read Full Review >
70

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

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?

Read Full Review >
70

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

It's as predictable and comforting as a Happy Meal, but it must be said that The Proposal manages to elicit some genuinely amusing moments.

Read Full Review >
70

Variety Brian Lowry

The Proposal won't catch any bouquets for originality, but in terms of a bended-knee pitch for the affections of women -- including Ryan Reynolds’ boyish charms, a hip granny and even a beyond-adorable puppy -- this romantic comedy pretty much pulls out all the stops.

Read Full Review >
70

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Director Anne Fletcher delivers more bite and brisker pacing than she did with "27 Dresses."

Read Full Review >
63

New York Post Lou Lumenick

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

Read Full Review >
63

USA Today Claudia Puig

A serviceable and intermittently funny romance.

Read Full Review >
63

New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott

If it weren't for the casting of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles, the film probably would have gone straight to DVD.

Read Full Review >
50

Premiere Robert Calvert

Betty White is what makes this film memorable as Andrew’s grandmother. She steals every scene, and adds the sweetness that a film like this needs.

Read Full Review >
50

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Ms. Bullock, who excels at playing spunky, is as appealing as usual, but the role proves as awkward as those heels.

Read Full Review >
50

TV Guide Perry Seibert

Bullock playing against type is the only original thing going on in the whole film.

Read Full Review >
50

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The Proposal follows a paint-by-numbers script, it fails one key acid test: it doesn't sell the romance.

Read Full Review >
50

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

You know every tinny beat and false note by heart, from the implausible setup to the sprint-to-the-airport finish.

Read Full Review >
50

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Fletcher demonstrates, as with her second film, "27 Dresses," that she can put together a funny, able romantic comedy that is a cut above, but no more. Still, those leads are awfully likable, the Massachusetts-for-Alaska landscape rather picturesque, and if The Proposal doesn't reinvent the wheel, merrily we roll along nonetheless.

Read Full Review >
50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It's the material that stinks, failing to give even an old pro like White more than a couple of modest laughs.

Read Full Review >
50

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The Proposal reworks "Two Weeks Notice" with the genders switched.

Read Full Review >
50

San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli

The premise of The Proposal is one big cliche.

Read Full Review >
42

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

The film is flat and false in the exact same way that director Anne Fletcher's last rom-com, "27 Dresses," was flat and false.

Read Full Review >
40

Empire Ian Freer

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

Read Full Review >
40

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

A romantic comedy doesn't need to be original to be enjoyable, and yet The Proposal still falls way too short of the mark.

Read Full Review >
40

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

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.

Read Full Review >
38

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Neither (Bullock/Reynolds) brings out anything good in the other, and watching them try hurts the eyes, the tummy, and the libido.

Read Full Review >
30

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Why is she (Bullock) demeaning herself with such shoddy goods? She’s a talented woman with a faithful following. She has made formula films of varying quality before, and her fans may well swallow this one, but it’s a formula for disappointment laced with dismay.

Read Full Review >
25

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

A romantic comedy so numbing it feels like Novocaine.

Read Full Review >
25

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The film saddles Craig T. Nelson with the generally thankless role of Paxton's cold, distant dad. But when he feels like the only person who doesn't understand what's going on with Tate and his son, you feel like saying, "No, me too."

Read Full Review >
16

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Monumentally unromantic.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 82 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael D gave it a6:
I think Sandra Bullocks performance was okay.But everybody loves Sandra Bullock. Ryan's performance was okay 2.But you got 2 give Betty Whites performance was brilliant ever hands down.Everybody who was in this movie was okay.

Bryce S. gave it a1:
Bad Plot, not funny, those who say it are havn't seen any good funny films. It bored me to death. I wis it could be a little funny to maybe keep me enetertained as many of these bad movies do, but it failed even that. The Proposa was a failure, well, neve mind, the teens in this world who dont watch good movies will love this!

chocho Fly gave it a10:
Very fast and refreshing, not like some slow dull romantic comedies I have seen. The chemistry is strong. One of the best. Love it!!!

Nora B gave it a3:
Neither romantic or Funny! Isn't Sandra a little old for this one...I was rooting for the ex girlfriend in Alaska, and yes, it was predictable, plodding, and stupid, but I was astonished at how unsympathetic Sandra was as the canadian bitch and how ineffective...and she got a nom for this one? Can't win them all, but this sucked.

Archil B gave it a9:
Margaret Tate's Soul - conciliates to friendship, Appearance - attracts, Mind - provokes respect. Conclusion: Her Spirit – is worth immitation. Perfect comedy!

Gordon T gave it a3:
I can't believe that on any universe he would want to be with her. Of course a better written script could have saved that but then it would have been five, You have to be brain dead to like this movie.

Laura R gave it a0:
Abysmal film-making, terribly chemistry. This film in an insult to any honorable sense of humor.

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: US Open | PGA Championship | iPad | Video Game Reviews | Cell Phones

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use (UPDATED)