Ok, so the premise is all a bit far-fetched, but the combination of the charismatic Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds does work quite well in this daft, predictable, rom-com. Canadian “Margaret” is the no-nonsense editor-in-chief at a publishing house and the downtrodden “Andrew” is her not so executive assistant. She gets quite a shock when she is told by her bosses that her work visa isn’t being renewed and she is soon to be deported! Unluckily for her aide, he pokes his head around the door just at the wrong time and is soon embroiled in her survival scheme. They are loved-up and soon to be married! Rather than tell her to get lost, he realises that this is a good chance to advance his own career so makes a deal. Thing is, though, the immigration bloodhound “Gilbertson” (Denis O’Hare) is having none of this convenient arrangement and so with a difficult questionnaire looming that could see her locked out and him locked up, they head to Alaska to meet his family. They are a wealthy and welcoming bunch in the main - his mum (Mary Steenbergen) and grandmother (Betty White) are delighted by the potential nuptials, but he has a strained relationship with his rags-to-riches dad (Craig T. Nelson) and so a combination of familial politics and light-hearted slapstick now ensues as the story unfolds. The star of the thing is really Betty White, especially as the film progresses towards it’s ending, but there’s an ambiable chemistry between Bullock at the top of her game and a Reynolds who is beginning to be more than just cinematic eye-candy as both deliver some quite entertainingly written dialogue amidst some lovely scenery. Not an hint of jeopardy, but it’s effortless viewing.
