If you place a high-powered executive in a corner, she will find a way to get out of it by placing one of her seemingly helpless underlings in her place. Make that same executive get down on her knees and promise to fly to a teensy-weensy town on the Alaskan panhandle all in the name of marriage…well, that seems to be a tad bit far-fetched.

Of course, if you are Sandra Bullock playing the uptight, book-publishing power-broker commonly referred to as “It” by the very underlings she seeks to corner in her sudden predicament, it is not so much a stretch. It also helps to have her assistant, an aspiring editor who seeks to replace “It” one day, played by the charismatic Ryan Reynolds. Combined, the chemistry between both Bullock and Reynolds makes you forget you are watching an otherwise typically formulaic rom-com in The Proposal.

Portraying a plot that is seamlessly predictable from the moment you decide to watch this movie, The Proposal hits on all the stereotypical buttons. There is a tense boss-assistant relationship combined with contradictory lifestyles in America’s big cities and small towns. Oh, there is an epiphany causing an otherwise uptight character to let it all loose in front of a crazy and high-strung but awfully loving group of relatives. Naturally, all this is followed by a climactic revelation followed by the usual self-realization –- only to end with a display of affection perfectly timed for all to see.

Meet Andrew and Margaret. No one really likes Margaret. Not even Andrew. Of course, by film’s end, all that changes. Sure, there is one crazy obstacle course to go through before fate takes its course –- and without that insane journey through the northern corners of these United States, there is no film for Anne Fletcher to direct.

Alas, we have our ridiculous ride that starts in the unfriendly confines of Corporate America, travels through the quaint, folksy, family-run town of everyday Americana before ending in an interrogation-style meeting inside the office of a prickly federal agent. All of this because of Margaret’s bewildered imagination driving her to make a marriage proposal in order to save her job.

In what appears to be a match made…well, nowhere, Andrew and Margaret spend roughly two-thirds of the movie getting to know each other. Thankfully, the natural humor and strong charisma that both Reynolds and Bullock bring to the screen helps provide some spirited laughs, anxious friction and genuine romance to an otherwise predictable film.

Bullock is Margaret Tate, a conniving alpha-dog of an executive pulling some high rank at one of the world’s largest book publishers. Naturally, she has someone working directly under her — someone who, in New York, would be called an “assistant,” but a “secretary” in small-town Sitka, Alaska.

Of course, that assistant/secretary/loyal underling who trash-talks his boss behind her back is aspiring editor Andrew Paxton, played by the affable Reynolds. Like most in his situation, Andrew was used to his boss making odd requests that go far and above the posted job description, but certainly he did not expect her to ask for his hand in marriage –- even if it was not at all a truly genuine request.

Fittingly, Margaret’s plans are as plotted as her conniving personality, as her motive for seeking Andrew’s hand is to keep herself from being deported to her native Canada. The problem is, can she convince immigration officials her “love” with Andrew is for real? Or will her plan be exposed by an ambitiously arrogant and smug federal officer who is dead set to expose the fraud of the sudden union between Margaret and Andrew?

Luckily for the new love-birds, they only have three days to make it work, as Margaret’s proposal somehow manages to coincide with Andrew’s trip to visit his family for the weekend in Alaska. Seeking to capitalize on the moment, Andrew tries to regain control of the situation while in his backyard, all while Margaret tries to put up a façade of interest in Andrew, despite her usually guarded personality, and Mr. Federal Agent breathes down their collective necks, hoping to achieve victory at the expense of two otherwise innocent human beings.

Along the way, we meet Andrew’s prickly father (Craig T. Nelson), primly mother (Mary Steenburgen) and pleasantly cute grandmother (Betty White). As Andrew butts heads with his father, ergo raising tensions with mother and grandmother, Margaret struggles to adapt to her new surroundings in Alaska, finding it hard to enjoy the local cuisine, wildlife and otherwise everyday folksy charm.

What results is an interesting attempt to set The Proposal apart from other films in the rom-com genre. While the cast’s chemistry is evident on screen, and Bullock and Reynolds have their usual moments of memorable dialogue and comedy, nothing changes the fact that The Proposal is not at all inventive. Sure, it is a somewhat unique twist for a film to attempt to take an immigration issue that started in downtown Manhattan and solve it in a small town that is clear across the country and located just a short drive away from where the main character is threatened to be deported to. Yet, there are no strange twists and turns to The Proposal. Instead, the film is no more unpredictable than what would happen to a scoop of vanilla ice-cream sitting atop a cone while resting in a child’s hand as he runs through a local park in the middle of a hot July afternoon.

Nonetheless, The Proposal has quite a few memorable moments, such as the moment where Reynolds and Bullock try their hand at performing an a cappella rendition of one of most popular tunes of urban pop. For the females who will trek to the multiplexes this weekend, this film combines the right amount of gush, romance, and charm to keep them fully entertained. Just the same, The Proposal will not be too torturous for all those males dragged to the theater with their significant others, as Reynolds avoids being the push-over love interest who is always whipped and cheesy.

Directed by Anne Flecther (27 Dresses) and written by Peter Chiarelli, The Proposal is ultimately a star-studded film filled with enough comedy, subplots and innuendos to make viewing this Touchtone Pictures release worth watching for anyone searching for some seemingly innocent entertainment on Father’s Day weekend.

The Proposal opens today and is rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language. Running time is 104 minutes.