It’s a familiar scenario: imperious publishing exec takes wildly inappropriate advantage of beleaguered assistant who will do anything to get ahead in Manhattan. But before you start waxing nostalgic for The Devil Wears Prada, know that this is a completely different spin—one that will leave you dizzy with laughter.

Much of the credit for the high likeability factor of The Proposal must go to Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds for their prickly chemistry and comedic timing. She is the demanding and self-absorbed book editor who is about to be deported to Canada unless she straightens out her immigration issues pronto. He is her put upon assistant, who has more than a few tricks up his sleeve and secrets in his closet. When she appropriates him to be her fiancé as well as the answer to all her legal woes, a series of events is set off that is highly amusing and not entirely predictable, which is a good thing, and rare thing in romantic comedies these days. Betty White, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen and Malin Ackerman are also perfectly cast and merry in their supporting roles.

It’s nice to see a rom com that doesn’t set your teeth on edge with its saccharine sweetness, nor bore you senseless with obvious and cliché dialogue and plot development. Sure, you may see the end coming a mile away, and it does have a time-worn finale that involves either a wedding or a race to the airport (I won’t spoil it by telling you which, but I’m just grateful it doesn’t include both). But Director Anne Fletcher has taken about 28 steps up from her last directing effort, 27 Dresses, which I found ludicrous and painful. Speaking of ludicrous and painful, that much publicized accidental nude scene in The Proposal, is both, as well as perfectly timed, hysterical and not even remotely offensive. That’s a tough one to pull off. Thank you, Anne, Sandra and Ryan, for giving us reason to laugh, rather than groan.

Rated PG-13

–Lisa Johnson Mandell