The Proposal
★★★ 1/2
The Proposal (2009) has a soft spot in my heart, and not just because it’s a rom-com comfort watch, but because it came out the summer after Whitney and I got married. This movie feels like the unofficial kickoff to all the romantic comedies we’d end up watching together over the years. I remember seeing it in the theater and immediately falling for its rom-com-iest tendencies. Is the premise wildly unbelievable? Absolutely. Do I care even a little? Not at all.
At its core, this movie understands the assignment: take a ridiculous setup, cast charming people and let everyone have a good time. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds may not rank among the all-time great rom-com chemistry duos, but they play off each other beautifully. Bullock is pitch-perfect as the icy, terrifying boss who slowly reveals something human underneath, while Reynolds does what he always does best, playing a good-looking charmer with just enough sweetness and depth to make the transformation believable.
I’m not looking for realism here. Yes, you kind of wish there were more backstory between these two, because we’ve all had horrible bosses, and no one realistically thinks, “You know what would fix this? Marriage.” But once you accept the premise, the movie delivers exactly what it promises.
Setting most of the film in Alaska gives it a fun, off-the-beaten-path vibe, and the supporting cast is an absolute treat. Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and Oscar Nuñez (yes, Oscar from The Office) all add to the film’s easy charm. But the true secret weapon is Betty White, who absolutely steals the movie. She chews up the scenery in the best way possible and reminds us why she was such a treasure.
And the gags? They hit me right in the sweet spot. Bullock’s fear of tiny dogs. The aggressively awkward naked collision. The fireside dance. “Get Low.” All of it is silly. All of it works. None of it is trying to reinvent the genre, and that’s kind of the point.
The Proposal doesn’t break the rom-com mold, but it executes those tropes so confidently that it becomes endlessly rewatchable. It’s warm, funny and incredibly easy to come back to—exactly the kind of movie that sticks around in your life for reasons that have as much to do with timing as they do with quality. And honestly? That’s kind of perfect.
