Review: The Proposal

VIDEO: The trailer for The Proposal

Anne Fletcher's comedy proves funnier and warmer than the dog-eared premise it hangs on: ice-bitch boss turns to her abused, resentful underling for an out-of-office favor, shows a shred of humanity, and love blossoms. Predictability and Betty White have much to do with the film's modest success, but Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds do hold up their ends as Margaret Tate, a NYC publishing titan set to be deported back to Canada, and Andrew Paxton, the assistant who's roped into marriage to secure her the requisite papers.

The get-to-know-you situation imposed by the INS sends the pair to a swanky Alaskan enclave (shot in part on the North Shore) to visit Andrew's family. As the spry grandmother, Golden Girl White steals nearly every scene.

Fletcher, who's better known as a choreographer, does show some poise. Then again, how hard is it to make a one-legged comedy look good when you have Ms. White on hand?