I love Ryan Reynolds. Alison loves Sandra Bullock. And yet, somehow, neither of us had seen The Proposal before. Honestly, the trailer makes it look, well, not great. Which is a shame, because it kind of is. Sure, the actual romance of proceedings is a bit forced and I never really buy the moment that Reynolds is meant to fall for his bitch of a boss (understand her better, empathise with her, sure, but actually fall in love? eh...), but the comedy is more than solid enough to make up for it.

Pacing, plotline, the surrounding cast of characters, and even twists work well too. I really enjoy the fact that Reynolds immediately takes the upper hand when he can, that his character is just as surprisingly nuanced as Bullock's, and that both are coming from a fairly broken family life, just in very different ways. There's nothing incredibly poignant or deep to their backstories, but it's much more than "bitchy boss" and "bootlicking assistant" needed and the film is the better for it.

The result is a funny and interesting rom-com that manages to avoid or subvert enough of the tropes for you to forgive those it does fall foul of. And of course, Betty White is a brilliant costar as the slightly barmy grandmother that practically steals every scene she's in. Overall, thoroughly enjoyable.