Chemistry: It's difficult to define, but when it comes to acting, I think it means trusting that your costar will be as committed as you are, will follow you however far you go. Ryan Reynolds, EW's current cover boy and "Must Leading Man," and Sandra Bullock, our "Must Physical Marvel," have it in their new romantic comedy The Proposal. It comes with a sort of confidence. You can feel it when they stand toe-to-toe and he tells her that if they're going to make his family (and an immigration officer) believe that they're in love – she's a Canadian devil who wears pencil skirts and he's her assistant who agrees to marry her for a promotion to book editor – it'll require her to "stop snacking on children while they dream." It emanates into the audience: You have faith that Bullock's chanting scene with Betty White will eventually be as funny as her drunken "twisty bobcat pretzel" in Two Weeks Notice (and it is, when she busts out with the chorus of "Get Low").
For me, there really is no better feeling than being 15 minutes into a romantic comedy and knowing that the inevitable happy ending will actually be worth the ride. Did you feel it with The Proposal? (EW's Lisa Schwarzbaum did. Read her review here.) Are you ready to see Ryan Reynolds as a leading man and welcome back Sandra Bullock, who should be looking at her first No. 1 opening weekend since 1999's Forces of Nature? (Sometimes Reynolds' mug is still a little boyish for me, but I'm warming to him…enough to finally watch that copy of Definitely, Maybe I'd grabbed from the giveaway table when it came out on DVD.) And — SPOILER ALERT! — how great was Betty White's helicopter fake-out?
Read more:
Ryan Reynolds kicks off EW's 'Must List' Issue
Ryan Reynolds video interview
Betty White and Jimmy Fallon get it on, beer-pong style
Clip du jour: Ryan Reynolds vs. Betty White
Betty White as grandma: The romantic comedy cliche I'd like to see








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LOVED IT!! Ryan and Sandra were great together. Can’t wait to see Ryan in more movies soon!!
Am I ready to accept Ryan Reynolds as a leading man? Maybe. But not if the media starts pushing him down our throats in every magazine and every entertainment show as the next superstar just because he has one movie that has done well. I like him just okay now and think people should decide for themselves if he has what it takes instead of the media trying to dictate it for us.
Ryan Reynolds is a ok actor for me, he is funny and has a great body (shallow but that’s true) as a leading man and above all superstar material ? I don’t know..Sandra Bullock is a superstar material so he is very lucky to play with her.
As for the on-screen chemistry aspect i am totally agree with you : it’s before all about trust in the costar performance.
In movies i saw that recently with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet on Eternal Sunshine..and with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams on the Notebook but the epitome of that was Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett and Rhett. Ok there are also Hedburn/Tracy or Bogart/Bacall..and many more.
In television for me it was recently Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring on Veronica Mars, seriously it was captivating.
The chemistry : you have “it” or not.
I’ve been a Ryan Reynolds fan since Van Wilder and plan on seeing this movie, but from the previews, the chemistry seems a little forced — and the likelihood of such love and kinship materializing, implausible. While I have always liked Sandra Bullock, she seems past her prime now — but maybe her tired shtick still resonates with audiences.
Anyway, back on topic, I think RR has definitely earned leading man status. He is an incredibly gifted and versatile actor — from Just Friends to Chaos Theory to Definitely, Maybe to X-Men: Wolverwine. It’s nice to see him starting to get the recognition he deserves. And yes, I have a man-crush on him — so sue me.
Her poster shows her off very well! http://www.athleticsinglesdating.com/
Definitely, Maybe is my favourite rom com of the last few years, and it stands on RR’s shoulders 75% of the time (although certainly Abigail Breslin helps in the remaining 25%). And the plot is a bit less trite than this one. You should give it a try!
Sandra Bullock is one of my favorites. She’s just too likeable, too pretty, and too funny to not dig. I kinda wanna see this movie now that people are saying it’s good.
This movie was hilarious! I made my boyfriend go with me and he was cracking up the whole way through! He even admitted to really enjoying the movie afterwards
saw Proposal yesterday, it was so funny…Sandra, Ryan , and especially Betty, and that guy dancing. Could see it again in a few weeks.
Completely underestimated Sandra Bullock mainly because I have no clue about her fan base. Ryan Reynolds on the other hand . . . could the covers of EW be any hotter?
Surprisingly, I laughed really hard during the first half of the movie. The second half was a little cliche and predictable (the wedding scene was straight out of “While You Were Sleeping”), but overall I loved Ryan Reynolds. He can give as good as he gets and was genuinely funnier than Bullock!
I’m happy to see Sandra Bulluck, at 44, do a romantic movie, with a hot guy and score #1 in the box office…can’t wait to see more from her.
I freaking LOVE Ryan Reynolds!! I have waited wait seems like forever for someone decent to be a romantic lead and HE IS IT. (I’m still going to hold out for Bradley Cooper, David Boreanz and Nathan Fillion, but….). This movie was SOO good and I usually am picky about rom-coms, but Sandra Bullock with ANYONE is great. I’m SO glad she’s back! It’s been forever since Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice…..missed her!
And Betty White is GENIUS.
Went to first showing on Friday and absolutely loved it. I’ve adored RR since “Two Guys, a Girl…” (side note – would the powers-that-be PLEASE bring that to DVD as RR and Nathan Fillion = YUM). It truly was a laugh-outloud movie. A few scenes a bit cliche but I was more than happy to overlook it. Then I come home and find EW’s gift to me: a RR cover boy times three. Glorious.
LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! YOU HAVE TO GO SEE IT! IM WAITING FOR THE DVD ALREADY!
I loved this movie. Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock & Betty White were all fantastic! I’m so glad to see a romantic comedy that is actually funny. It doesn’t seem to happen very often any more.
LOVED THIS MOVIE! both actors were hilarious, and, yes, they have very good chemistry
I love both Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, but I was a little wary about this. Loved it though…agreed, great chemistry…and a choice role for Bullock: a rom-com lead, but a mature one. Much more appealing than her other upcoming movie, ‘All About Steve,’ where it appears that she plays a ditzy mess chasing a younger man. Her role in ‘The Proposal’ is much more age appropriate and still fits her style and capabilities as an actor. I’m glad it did well at the box office. Also, Betty White = definite plus.
Ryan was absolutely stunning in that film. I believe isis probably one of th emost underrated actor in Hollywood. He made this films so believable and one could see the chemistry between he and Bulluck actually growing on him. What he did in this film was pure artistry and it shows in the box office. Excellent work, Ryan.
I LOVED this movie because even though you KNEW that the generic lovey dovey ending would eventually come, you didn’t care because the whole hilariously bumpy ride getting there was worth every second! His snide remarks and hatred were brilliant and evilness was just radiating out of her, which I honestly wasn’t expecting (I was expecting more Miss Congeniality rather than Devil Wears Prada). And the helicopter fakeout TOTALLY made the movie even more for me! And the “baby maker”! Both were just absolutely brilliant!
I LOVED this movie because even though you KNEW that the generic lovey dovey ending would eventually come, you didn’t care because the whole hilariously bumpy ride getting there was worth every second! His snide remarks and hatred were brilliant and evilness was just radiating out of her, which I honestly wasn’t expecting (I was expecting more Miss Congeniality rather than Devil Wears Prada). And the helicopter fakeout TOTALLY made the movie even more for me! And the “baby maker”! Both were just absolutely brilliant!
I LOVED this movie because even though you KNEW that the generic lovey dovey ending would eventually come, you didn’t care because the whole hilariously bumpy ride getting there was worth every second! His snide remarks and hatred were brilliant and evilness was just radiating out of her, which I honestly wasn’t expecting (I was expecting more Miss Congeniality rather than Devil Wears Prada). And the helicopter fakeout TOTALLY made the movie even more for me! And the “baby maker”! Both were just absolutely brilliant!
I LOVED this movie because even though you KNEW that the generic lovey dovey ending would eventually come, you didn’t care because the whole hilariously bumpy ride getting there was worth every second! His snide remarks and hatred were brilliant and evilness was just radiating out of her, which I honestly wasn’t expecting (I was expecting more Miss Congeniality rather than Devil Wears Prada). And the helicopter fakeout TOTALLY made the movie even more for me! And the “baby maker”! Both were just absolutely brilliant!
Great Movie!!
Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock & Betty White so funny!!
love the chant i busted out laughing as soon as she sang to the window to the wall.
Love It!!!
Ryan Reynolds is fantastic! He’s going to be huge. Love love love him. If the face is too boyish, just look at the abs.
I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. The best for me is anything with that puppy. And anything with Ryan, his comic timing is crazy. Makes me want to download all his movies (from iTunes naturally) and keep the goodness coming.
If you think you might like it, then you will LOVE it. It’s awesome.
Plus you get the New Moon trailer (in Canada). People screamed when Jacob/Tailor appeared all hot and shirtless. Screamed. Not me of course but other people did.
Good night for the girls all around.
OMG! this movie just rocked and totally forgot about transformers 2, for awhile at least. lol. anyway, that betty white scene seemed like she did have one but it totally caught me off guard when she was faking. so much better than ryan reynolds just chasing after her. i like the twists this director did. and ryan and sandra are one fantastic couple… great chemistry! really great!
I cannot add more good things to say about this movie. Sandra and Ryan get my “I do” anytime. This is a movie I didn’t want it to end. My best friend and I left with a big smile.
I am not a fan of Bullock or Reynolds and only saw this movie after I was too late to catch something els. That being said, I LOVED this movie. The writing was good, the acting was good, and yes, they have excellent chemistry. Couldn’t figure out what Malin Ackerman’s character was there for though.
I couldn’t wait to see this movie and it was well worth the wait…I laughed so hard…its one of the best feel good movies I have seen in a long time. Betty White and Sandra Bullocks dance scene was extremely funny and Both Sandra and Ryan were great in this movie…I too can’t wait for the DVD release.