The Proposal

Starring Sandra Bullock as the publishing-house boss who blackmails her assistant (played by Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her, lest she face deportation to Canada, this is nothing but a faint echo of its myriad predecessors, which are too numerous to name. You know every tinny beat and false note by heart, from the implausible setup to the sprint-to-the-airport finish. First-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli receives credit for having pilfered every romantic-comedy convention since the invention of breathing. It was directed by Anne Fletcher, who stitched together 27 Dresses from the leftover scraps not used here. Also starring: ex–Golden Girl Betty White as Dirty-Minded Grandmother, Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen as The Parents and Malin Akerman as The One Who Got Away. There you have it. "Here comes the bribe," utters the poster's tagline. Genius. Such great minds.