Romantic comedies are predictable, it's true. So, why do we insist on watching them? Maybe we cross our fingers and hope that this time, the typical plotline will have a few twists in it, to make it more interesting. Maybe we want to simply sit back and be entertained by a familiar-sounding story. Or maybe we just like the actors. In any event: here we have The Proposal.

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a high-powered editor-in-chief at Colden Books, a subsidiary of Ruick & Hunt Publishing, in New York City. For three years now, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), an aspiring editor himself, has served as her executive assistant and go-fer. Margaret is one of those bosses who is hated by everyone who works for her, including Andrew. She seems not to care about anyone but herself.

That is, until the day when she learns that her visa application has been denied, and that she faces deportation back to Canada. That's when she turns to Andrew and claims that they're getting married, so that she can stay in the country. She bribes him to go along with her scheme to deceive the immigration officer, Mr. Gladstone (Denis O'Hare). Andrew agrees, knowing that if he is caught, he could face a hefty fine and jail time for participating in such a fraud.

Soon enough, the "happy" couple are flying off to Andrew's hometown of Sitka, Alaska. Here is the opportunity for Andrew to introduce Margaret to his family: mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen), father Joe (Craig T. Nelson) and Gammie Annie (Betty White). Now this movie turns into a fish-out-of-water story. Margaret, wearing a classy dress and high heels, tries to climb down to the dock and step into a motorboat. And this is just ONE instance of her not fitting in with these people and with this place. Some Paxton family tension and dynamics are added for good measure.

Will Margaret and Andrew really get married? Can they keep the visa issue a secret from the family? Will they return to New York? Or will Andrew's family succeed at luring them to stay in Alaska for a while? You know the routine. But this time, some twists in the telling DO show up. So maybe you WON'T know exactly how this one will resolve itself. Or when.

The actors are terrific in their roles. Bullock and Reynolds play the boss-secretary game deliberately well. It's nifty to see Steenburgen and Nelson together again as a couple. I like them a lot in Book Club and Book Club: The Next Chapter. O'Hare gives off the appropriately rigid authoritarian vibe as the immigration agent checking up on Andrew and Margaret. If you're a Northern Exposure fan, and you're used to the setting of the remote northern village, then you may find connection with this film. Watch for at least one quirky character.

At times, however, I was distracted by the scenery of the Alaskan town. It looked a lot like Rockport, Massachusetts, to me, instead of Sitka, Alaska. And wouldn't you know it? I was right! The movie was shot in Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-Sea, all located northeast of Boston, along the Atlantic coast. As a Massachusetts resident, I thought this was cool. As someone watching and liking this movie, however, I know I would have admired it a lot more if they really HAD filmed the bulk of it in Alaska. Authenticity is a valuable commodity. Obviously, some real Alaskan mountain skylines were edited into the background. Speaking of being authentic: ironically enough, it was Reynolds who was born in Canada; Bullock was born in Virginia. Hah!

The Proposal offers a fun story, with great settings and memorable scenes. Sure, it's a romantic comedy, a chick flick and a date-night film. Watch it at least once, anyway. I think you'll have a good feeling at the end.