( Entertainment Weekly ) -- 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 ... Ryan Reynolds wonders if marrying his boss , Sandra Bullock , is a good thing in `` The Proposal . '' Something old : The story of a haughty woman and an exasperated man who hate each other -- until they realize they love each other -- is proudly square , in the tradition of rom-coms from the 1940s and '50s . Or is it straight out of Shakespeare 's 1590s ? Sandra Bullock is the shrew , Margaret , a pitiless , high-powered New York book editor first seen multitasking in the midst of her aerobic workout ( thus you know she needs to get ... loved ) . Ryan Reynolds is Andrew , her put-upon foil of an executive assistant , a younger man who accepts abuse as a media-industry hazing ritual . And there the two would remain , locked in mutual disdain , except for Margaret 's fatal flaw -- she 's Canadian . ( So is `` X-Men 's '' Wolverine ; I thought our neighbors to the north were supposed to be nice . ) Margaret , with her visa expired , faces deportation and makes the snap executive decision to marry Andrew in a green-card wedding . It 's an offer the underling ca n't refuse if he wants to keep his job . ( A sexual-harassment lawsuit would ruin the movie 's mood . ) OK , he says . But first comes a visit to the groom-to-be 's family in Alaska . Amusing complications ensue . Something new : The chemical energy between Bullock and Reynolds is fresh and irresistible . In her mid-40s , Bullock has finessed her dewy America 's Sweetheart comedy skills to a mature , pearly texture ; she 's lovable both as an uptight careerist in a pencil skirt and stilettos , and as a lonely lady in a flapping plaid bathrobe . Reynolds , meanwhile , is just refining his dry comedy thing , learning to get the most from his deceptive cute-face looks . Who knew these two would , hmmm , complete each other ? Working together , both are surer and more disciplined in delivering their comedy goods . iReport.com : `` Proposal '' has `` plenty of laughs '' Something borrowed : The boisterous family dynamics . The eccentric supporting players ( none more extreme than Oscar Nunez from `` The Office '' ) . The snappy screwball dialogue in Pete Chiarelli 's script . And the way Anne Fletcher directs like a camp counselor wrangling bunkmates ... it 's all been seen before . For a reason . These elements work . Something blue : As the wise and saucy matriarch of the family , the divine 87-year-old Betty White has fun as one hot grandma -- and inspires her younger stars to say `` I do , '' too . EW Grade : B+ . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
EW : `` The Proposal '' is a top-notch romantic comedy . Movie adheres to formula , but it 's well done , very funny . Comment: