The Proposal (2009)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

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 | Partial Male Nudity | Humiliation | Canadian Stereotype | Cross Examination

US Showtimes:

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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

Filming Locations:

225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Kurtzman/Orci

Trivia:

225 Franklin St, Boston, was the real location of The Colden Books office. The entire main office, including Margaret's & Bob's offices, were completely rebuilt and replicated at Disney Studios in Burbank, CA for pickups and re-shoots in January 2009.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Margaret and Andrew bump into each other, naked, he express his opinion about the tattoo on her back. But how could he see it?

Quotes:

Andrew Paxton: Don't take this the wrong way.
Margaret Tate: OK.
Andrew Paxton: You are a very, *very* beautiful woman.

Soundtrack:

It Takes Two

A Wise Career Move

In The Proposal Sandra Bullock finds herself in real dilemma. A workaholic executive in the publishing business, she's Canadian by birth and has failed to renew her visa. As she says, that's practically being an American anyway. Not good enough says immigration official Denis O'Hare and Bullock's boss Michael Nouri agrees. Sandra's got to do something fast.

Enter Ryan Reynolds her hunky young executive assistant who for better or worse has his career tied to her's. What's a guy to do, but go along with those other for better or worse words as she announces to the world that her young assistant is also her fiancé. It's not the most romantic of proposals, but he'll go along at least temporarily until INS stops looking and then they can get a quickie divorce.

But then to go along with the gag, Bullock and Reynolds fly to his home town which is Sitka, Alaska and at that point The Proposal becomes a combination of The Devil Wears Prada and Northern Exposure. Enter Reynolds family which is parents Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen, grandmother Betty White, and a former girlfriend in Malin Akerman and a host of town characters that look like some of Rob Morrow's former patients. Bullock who lost her family early on and has none to speak of gets really comfortable with them and very comfortable indeed with Reynolds.

Sandra and Ryan certainly make a nice pair of leads. But I think acting honors go to Betty White who's pretty close in real life to the 89 year old granny she plays here. They also go to Denis O'Hare. He's a great example of a smarmy and officious bureaucrat people hate instinctively.

Ironic isn't it because Sandra Bullock is not a terrorist, in fact she's contributing quite a bit to the American economy here. The Proposal takes a strong look at our immigration laws which are incredibly out of whack in this country. Our strength as a nation was the immigrants who came here for a better life. Now we seem to discourage that.

As for Reynolds, it might be a wise career move he's making, but as it turns out these two really get to know each other and it might just work out after all.

The Proposal is a really nice romantic comedy, don't miss it while it is still in theaters.