See, Andrew has an agenda of his own. Ready to move up the proverbial office food chain, he's ready to resort to blackmail if necessary, too. For the title of "Editor" and a guarantee the novel he likes will be published, he agrees to Margaret's crazy plan (a woman he once likened to Satan) without much resistance. While the plan is perfect in theory, it's not long before the persnickety immigration officer (Denis O'Hare) must be convinced their relationship is real, so Andrew has the unenviable task of taking Margaret to Alaska to meet the parents.

Thankfully, the film's gorgeous cinematography, with Massachusetts' lush foliage standing in beautifully for Alaska's, provides a enjoyable diversion. Well, until the story kicks back in. Of course, the trip inevitably gets off to a pretty rocky start. Turns out Margaret isn't a nature girl or particularly fond of fluffy dogs like the Paxtons' have, which provides many opportunities for screwball comedy.

But most of the writers' efforts to garner a laugh fall into lowbrow or highly predictable territory, which not even the talented Bullock can rescue. In one scene, she even resorts to a booty-shaking dance that's more embarrassing than anything. In fact, the film's only amusing moments actually belong to Reynolds. Much like Hugh Grant, Reynolds has a knack for the subtle facial gestures that elevate an otherwise lackluster scene into a funny one—so that's something at least.

Unfortunately, the rest of this ridiculous premise is just too difficult to buy. Being the only son of two respectable parents, it's impossible to suspend your disbelief when Andrew's mom (Mary Steenburgen) and dad (Craig T. Nelson) immediately welcome Margaret as "one of the family" and drop everything to plan their quickie wedding, especially considering how much Andrew complained about her in the past. I mean, could they not sense that something out of the ordinary was up? That, along with countless other flimsy plot details, simply don't add up, causing you to wonder why Bullock even agreed to this Proposal in the first place. Until then one can only hope there will be far better romantic prospects in the future.
 
CAUTIONS:

• Drugs/Alcohol:  Social drinking.
• Language/Profanity:  A smattering of expletives throughout, including God's name being misused several times.
• Sex/Nudity:  A few sexual innuendos, plus after exiting the shower (and still in the buff) Andrew runs smack dab into Margaret, who is also naked. The camera lingers, but their private parts are covered. During a bachelorette lunch for Margaret, another way-too-long scene features a Chippendale's type striptease from Ramon, who strips down to his skimpy underwear and offers Margaret a lap dance. Also, Andrew's Grandma Annie makes comments about Margaret's small breasts.
• Violence:  Nothing that's not of the comedic variety.
• Religion:  Grandma Annie likes to chant around a campfire to "The Great Spirit."

Christa Banister is a full-time freelancer writer, specializing in music, movies and books-related reviews and interviews and is the author of two novels, Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers. Based in St. Paul, Minn., she also weighs in on various aspects of pop culture on her personal blog. 

For more information, including her upcoming book signings and sample chapters of her novels, check out her Website.