Last summer when I was out of town, my wife ended up seeing a lot of movies we would normally watch together without me.  That included The Proposal, a Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy that we both wanted to see.  I was fine with her going to the movie with her girlfriends, but I've been waiting to see it since June.  We picked it up on DVD yesterday and watched it last night, and it was pretty good. 

The story isn't exactly a new one: Bullock plays Margaret, a book editor for a big New York publishing firm.  Reynolds is Andrew, her assistant.  He and the rest of her office cower at her feet--she's a boss that demands a lot from her employees, and will fire them ruthlessly if she doesn't get it.  Andrew seems to be the only one who has put up with her long enough to get close to her, but he doesn't like her.  When her visa is denied, she's threatened with deportation back to Canada, and in a desperate ploy, decides that she and Andrew should get married so she can stay in the U.S..  Andrew agrees, on the condition that she promotes him to editor, and thus the proposal is in effect.  They go to his parents' house in Alaska for the weekend, and end up getting closer to each other than they expected.  Awkward nakedness ensues.

Even though there wasn't much new in this movie, I like Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds enough that the movie was pretty, entertaining, and pretty entertaining.  Most of the movie is set in Sitka, Alaska, and the locations they chose for shooting there are beautiful.  Bullock always does well in "fish out of water" roles, and taking her powerful, ball-busting Manhattan executive and transplanting her to the rural island community makes for some good moments.  Reynolds is cocky (like always), but after seeing Andrew in his working environment as a lackey, it's nice to see him be able to relax and get the upper hand on Margaret. 

The supporting cast is excellent, with Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson as Andrew's parents, and Betty White continuing to let her star shine as his grandmother.  At this point, I'd like to see Betty White as the star of a romantic comedy, but only me and Ed Asner would go see it.  Oscar Nunez, from NBC's The Office, also has a surprising and hilarious role to play in this movie, as he serves in at least four different occupations through the course of the film.

This movie runs just under two hours, but is nicely paced.  I didn't find myself watching the clock or wandering out of the room, and a lot of that has to do with Bullock and Reynolds.  They're in almost every scene in the movie, and they make it worth watching.  If you're shopping around for a romantic comedy to bunker down with as the weather gets colder, this is a fun one to watch.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older