The Proposal (2009/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Anne Fletcher

Writer (WGA):

Pete Chiarelli (written by)

Release Date:

19 June 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Here comes the bribe...

Plot:

A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

Plot Keywords:

Deportation | Fake Engagement | Ex Girlfriend | Canadian Expatriate | Partial Female Nudity

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Sandra Bullock	...	Margaret Tate
Ryan Reynolds	...	Andrew Paxton
Mary Steenburgen	...	Grace Paxton
Craig T. Nelson	...	Joe Paxton
Betty White	...	Grandma Annie
Denis O'Hare	...	Mr. Gilbertson
Malin Akerman	...	Gertrude
Oscar Nuñez	...	Ramone
Aasif Mandvi	...	Bob Spaulding
Michael Nouri	...	Chairman Bergen
Michael Mosley	...	Chuck
Dale Place	...	Jim McKittrick
Alicia Hunt	...	Coffee Barista
Alexis Garcia	...	Immigration Clerk (as Alexis R. Garcia)
Kortney Adams	...	Colden Books Receptionist

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45211) | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | Singapore:PG | Finland:S | Australia:PG | Mexico:A | Argentina:Atp | UK:12A | Germany:o.Al. | Japan:G | Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:A | Denmark:A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | South Africa:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Turkey:7+

Filming Locations:

225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Nowhere does it list Alaska as an actual film location. The film was actually filmed in Boston and on Boston's North Shore. In one of the scenes, you can see the famous Rockport icon, "Motif No.1", the little red shack famous for being a subject of many famous painters' and photographers' work. Snow-capped mountains (or any mountains, for that matter) are nowhere to be found on the North Shore. Those were added in digitally.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Margaret and Andrew go to get a "fiancée" visa, they go to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) office in New York. However, on the plane flying to Sitka, Andrew refers to a list of questions that "INS" will ask. INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) no longer exists; USCIS is one of the three agencies that now have the functions the defunct INS had.

Quotes:

Andrew Paxton: [as Margaret slowly descends the ladder to the dock] Congratulations. I'm a hundred.

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars (1977)

Soundtrack:

Find My Way

A fun way to spend an afternoon

The Proposal isn't going to win any Oscars, nor will it become your favourite movie of all time. However, it does exactly what it is supposed to do; that is to entertain you. The Proposal is the story of a tough editor Margaret Tate (Bullock) who forces her assistant Andrew Tate (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can stay in the U.S. (Interestingly, in the movie Bullock plays a Canadian and Reynolds an American while in real life, the reverse is true). What happens next will not surprise viewers but they will get many laughs along the way. Reynolds and Bullocks are very funny and also very believable. Betty White (from the Golden Girls) almost steals the show as Andrew's 90 year old "Gammy". The beautiful Alaskan setting doesn't hurt things either. Overall this is not a unique movie or even a unique role for Bullock but it is a very funny (and fun) way to spend an afternoon.