IMDb > The Proposal (2009/I)
The Proposal
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The Proposal (2009/I) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 68 | slideshow) Videos (see all 55)
The Proposal -- A publishing executive (Bullock) forces her assistant (Reynolds) to marry her so she can avoid deportation back to Canada.
The Proposal -- Here's a clip from The Proposal.
The Proposal -- Behind the scenes: Bloopers
The Proposal -- Interview: Mary Steenburgen "On the story"
The Proposal -- A pushy boss (Bullock) forces her young assistant (Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   38,629 votes »
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Director:
Writer (WGA):
Pete Chiarelli (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Proposal on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 June 2009 (USA) See more »
Genre:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(1229 articles)
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Blake Lively Green Lantern Character Poster
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User Reviews:
Starts Off with Snap and Verve But Moves Soon Enough Into Predictable Rom-Com Territory See more (223 total) »


Additional Details

Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language.
Runtime:
108 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
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) | South Africa:PG | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Peru:PT | Hong Kong:IIA | Turkey:7+

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The puppy named Kevin is played by four American Eskimo puppies named Flurry, Sitka, Nanu and Winter.See more »
Goofs:
Plot holes: When Margaret is telling Andrew's family and friends about how they got engaged she says that the two were celebrating their one year anniversary. When the government official comes to Alaska, Andrew tells him that that "six months ago we started dating, we fell in love".See more »
Quotes:
Andrew Paxton:Don't take this the wrong way.
Margaret Tate:OK.
Andrew Paxton:You are a very, *very* beautiful woman.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Love Me TenderlySee more »

FAQ

Is Sitka, Alaska a real town?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Isn't Sandra Bullock significantly older than Ryan Reynolds?
See more »
16 out of 20 people found the following review useful.
Starts Off with Snap and Verve But Moves Soon Enough Into Predictable Rom-Com Territory, 19 October 2009
Author: Ed Uyeshima from San Francisco, CA, USA

Even though it so clearly apes the set-up of David Frankel's "The Devil Wears Prada", I think the first 25 minutes of this 2009 romantic comedy has genuine snap enhanced by the sharp comedy interplay between stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Once the story leaves the Manhattan publishing house for the pastoral wilderness of Alaska, the story reverts into a formulaic sitcom bearing more than a passing resemblance to Bullock's break-out vehicle, 1995's "While You Were Sleeping", including an escalation of comic deceptions and a heart-tugging wedding confessional. Give credit to the fortyish actress/producer for not giving in too much to standard ingénue behavior this time. In fact, she plays the alpha dog with Reynolds relegated to the traditional leading lady role. The result produces enough contrived shenanigans to please Bullock's die-hard fans thanks to by-the-numbers work by director Anne Fletcher ("27 Dresses") and first-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli.

The storyline has Bullock playing vituperative book editor Margaret Tate, a workaholic careerist who instills fear into her entire office. As her bullied assistant Andrew Paxton, Reynolds caters to her every whim in the hopes that she will help boost his publishing career. As is typical for an opposites-attract rom-com, a complication occurs when Margaret, a Canadian, finds out she is to be deported because her visa application has been denied. Instead of facing immediate termination, she manipulates Andrew to let her superiors know that they are getting married. This moment of desperate deceit leads to an awkward visit with an immigration agent who senses a green-card arrangement and requires proof of their relationship. In order to avert suspicion, Margaret accompanies Andrew to visit his close-knit family in Sitka, Alaska, where it is revealed his family is quite wealthy and in fact, run many of the businesses in town.

They continue their charade of being engaged, which of course, fans the flames of his family's enthusiasm for a wedding. The rest of the film is pretty much you would expect save a strange episode of Andrew's grandmother performing a native dance in the woods. It's funny to see how Bullock cleverly uses the same prickliness she displayed effectively in her near-cameo in Paul Haggis' "Crash" in this film's establishing scenes as Margaret. In turn, Reynolds shows smart timing as put-upon Andrew, and their interplay has a nice edge. Note how well they perform during the best scenes early on when Margaret baldly lies about their upcoming nuptials at the office and in front of the immigration officer. It's just when they move into more traditional rom-com territory where their chemistry feels weakened and the sparks doused. Chiarelli's haphazard screenplay doesn't help them as they have little beyond one bedtime confessional scene to make us think they may belong together. Craig T. Nelson plays a familiar role as Andrew's disapproving father, but their subplot weighs down the proceedings unnecessarily.

Except for one brief face-off with Nelson, Mary Steenburgen is wasted as Andrew's always-smiling mother. Betty White is a welcome sight as feisty Grandma Annie, although I wish the creators could have made her more like Sue Ann Nivens ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and less like Rose Nylund ("The Golden Girls"). As the girl Andrew left behind in Sitka, Malin Akerman ("Watchmen") is actually left stranded by the script, while Oscar Nuñez ("The Office") grows increasingly tiresome as store clerk/male stripper Ramone. His absurd club performance, along with a nude run-in between the principals, just shows how little faith the creators had in the material to sustain the plot. Standard extras come with the 2009 DVD: a decent commentary track from Fletcher and Chiarelli (but sadly not the actors), seven minutes of outtakes, two deleted scenes of little interest, and an alternate ending which really just switches the locale versus the resolution.

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See more (223 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Proposal (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Sandra Bullock too old for Ryan Reynolds. Who should have been Margaret? sasommer
what rap song was margaret rapping when she was dancing by the fire? blondedorkette72
The Proposal and Green Card poserpro
SITKA ALASKA, GUESS WHERE IT IS??? gig4bean
So tired of movies like this will_kori
loved this movie givemecoffeeok
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