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THE PROPOSALMovie Reviews
Comedy about a high-powered book editor and her put-upon assistant who agree to get engaged in order to help her avoid deportation. Cast:Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty WhiteDirector:Anne FletcherRelease Date:June 19, 2009DVD Release:October 13, 2009From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 48 min
The Proposal played to mixed reviews. • Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Bullock and Reynolds supply surprising fizz and kick.... The film squarely hits the funny bone. In part, it's because the stars are cast against type and gender." • And Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone, "Only Betty White as someone's nut job grandma cuts through the plot inertia." More Reviews Below...
The Proposal Positive Reviews (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it goes on too long and a few scenes are superfluous (no more male strippers, ever!), but its likable leads capably zing comic lines and land pratfalls."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 06/18/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "How are the elements of the charming, traditional romantic comedy 'The Proposal' like the checklist of a charming, traditional bride? Let me count the ways..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 06/19/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "All the romantic comedy conventions are shamelessly on parade... turns gushy, piles on the contrivances and goes precipitously downhill in the final act."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 06/18/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...fans willing to put up with a not-so-funny second half will get one treat: a near-nude scene between the two leads.... it helps!"(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 06/18/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...falls short of winning our hearts completely... a serviceable and intermittently funny romance made enjoyable by the sparks between Bullock and Reynolds."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 06/19/09
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a movie about a couple who start out hating each other and end up liking each other. It's a funny thing about that. I started out hating the movie and ended up liking it."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 06/18/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a cheeky update of 'The Taming of the Shrew'... a good old-fashioned romance, one in which people actually bring out the best in one another rather than the worst."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 06/19/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...derivative, contrived and predictable -- nonetheless a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy... provides Bullock with an ideal sparring partner in Ryan Reynolds."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 451 words, 06/19/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "It's getting so that midway through one of these passable-but-so-forgettable-I've-already-forgotten-the-title rom-coms, I would honestly pay for actual jokes."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 521 words, 06/19/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "With Betty White thrown in as the nutty granny, this film goes everywhere you've already been.... there's no falling for 'The Proposal.' "(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 303 words, 06/19/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Onscreen chemistry is an elusive notion but you know it when you see it, and Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds definitely have it..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 06/19/09
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a by-the-numbers romantic comedy... manages to elicit some genuinely amusing moments, especially when it comes to physical comedy."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 06/19/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The premise is as old as the hills.... It isn't a film with a lot of big guffaws, but I smiled through most of it."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 06/19/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Reynolds gets great notices for his brief performance as Deadpool in the otherwise forgettable 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,' then shows up in this? Dude."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 06/19/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Bullock and Reynolds supply surprising fizz and kick.... The film squarely hits the funny bone. In part, it's because the stars are cast against type and gender."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 06/19/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "Romantic comedies avoid sex, yes. But even by Doris Day-Rock Hudson standards, recoiling from the possibility of it is pathological."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 06/19/09
Kara Nesvig, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...starts out fresh and clever but falls victim to the rom-com's tendency, intentional or not, to refuse to let a woman be defined by her career."(See all of Kara Nesvig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 06/19/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I'll keep waiting for Bullock to make a brilliant screwball rom-com; she's got the chops for it, but so far, not the script."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 06/19/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD(cg) "A strong cast, delicious chemistry and a few plot twists carry this comedy along beautifully, but the fun ends with an huh?! ending. Oh well."(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 06/19/09
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: FAIR(cg) "The movie's lazy, formulaic story -- written by male Hollywood exec Peter Chiarelli under a female pseudonym -- quickly becomes an excruciating waste of talent..."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 06/19/09
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: FAIR(cg) "...could have been much smarter, and much hipper. Instead, it settles for silliness and sentimentality. Still, Bullock and Reynolds make a fun couple -- at least, for a while."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 06/19/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a pant-by-numbers romantic comedy featuring yet another driven metropolitan woman steered against her will to pastoral surroundings."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 06/18/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Director Anne Fletcher ('27 Dresses') doesn't serve up many surprises, but she lets her practiced cast go through their paces, and that's almost enough."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 06/19/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Bullock and Reynolds show great comic chemistry... Yet the film often lies flat where it should spark, with director Fletcher failing to maximize her talented cast's potential."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 06/19/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: POOR(cg) "The movie is so flimsy that when Tate and Paxton first kiss, director Fletcher uses sledgehammer music to convey that they're striking sparks."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 06/19/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: POOR(cg) "Only Betty White as someone's nut job grandma cuts through the plot inertia. This forever golden girl is 87 (really!) and her skills are indisputably ageless."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 06/19/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: POOR "...written by first-time scripter Peter Chiarelli, who apparently and unfathomably felt no shame over stuffing his film with what feels like every romantic-comedy cliché ever worn out."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 06/18/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "Bullock 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."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 06/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a cheeky update of 'The Taming of the Shrew'... a good old-fashioned romance, one in which people actually bring out the best in one another rather than the worst."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 06/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a cheeky update of 'The Taming of the Shrew'... a good old-fashioned romance, one in which people actually bring out the best in one another rather than the worst."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 06/19/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "Bullock 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."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 06/19/09
21.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Proposal's reviews are separated by an average 21.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Proposal (41 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Proposal's reviews cover 74.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,983 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 439 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Proposal Coverage, Volume & Length (41 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Proposal's reviews on average broke 9.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Proposal's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Proposal (41 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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