The Proposal (2009/I)

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 | Alaska | Ex Girlfriend | Immigration Officer | Vegetarian

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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 Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Turkey:7+

Filming Locations:

225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Sandra Bullock plays a Canadian who wants to marry her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. In real life, Reynolds is from Canada and Bullock is American.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Granny Annie who is celebrating her 90th birthday says she wore the wedding dress when she was pregnant, but also says her mother made the dress in 1929. She would have been ten years old in 1929. However, she never actually said she wore the dress in 1929.

Quotes:

Margaret Tate: [on sleeping in the same bedroom with Andrew] We love to snuggle. Don't we honey?
Andrew Paxton: [sarcastically] Huge snugglers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.43)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Get Low

Decent Proposal

Well, if I could split the movie into two, I would say that the first half is a superb Proposal and the second half is fairly traditional Hollywood pablum. In the first half, the wonderful comedic timing and chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds was terrific. The writing was first-rate intellectual, snappy sparring, even throwing in some literary references in the put-downs. Kudos to the Director, Anne Fletcher, and the Screenwriter, Pete Chiarelli.

The completely different tone in the second half, I surmise, could only be attributed to the studios/producers stepping in and stating that the film must appeal to a wider audience. We, then, get lots of family characters thrown in, with a great reduction of Bullock and Reynolds mutual screen time. And when they do share time in the second half, it's more about slapstick/physical humor (cue studios/producers needing appeal to wider, a.k.a, younger audience). Maudlin music comes in on the soundtrack, letting us know that this part of the movie is supposed to tug on our heartstrings.

I don't buy the inevitable resolution either. I don't believe that it is supported well or justified by what came before it.

The 1st 45 minutes is WELL worth seeing. I wish the filmmakers could have pushed and maintained the pace and feel for the entire movie. Reynolds and Bullock are so good, they could be this generation's Tracy and Hepburn. I'd like to see them in another project that follows through all the way.

BTW, this film was actually shot in Boston and (the Alaska scenes) in Manchester by the Sea and Rockport on the North Shore with digital effects adding snow capped mountains. You might even recognize Motif No.1, a famous small building on a wharf in Rockport which has been the subject of many famous painters' and photographers' work. It was also fun seeing some of my local Boston area acting colleagues doing background work in the film.