The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli. It was produced by Kurtzman/Orci Productions, Mandeville Films, and Touchstone Pictures for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The movie stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in main roles, with Malin Åkerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and Betty White in supporting roles. The story follows a Canadian executive who discovers she might be sent back to Canada because her visa renewal was denied. To keep her job as editor-in-chief of a publishing company, she asks her long-time personal assistant to pretend to be her fiancé temporarily.

The film’s development began in 2005 when Chiarelli wrote the script. Main filming took place from April to May 2008. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, praising the acting and relationship between Bullock and Reynolds but pointing out weaknesses in the story and its predictable structure. The film was a financial success, earning over $317 million worldwide with a budget of $40 million. Sandra Bullock was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Movie.

Plot

Margaret Tate is a Canadian chief editor at a book publishing company in New York City. Her employees dislike her because she is very demanding. Because of a visa problem, she might be sent back to Canada. She does not want to lose her job or her life in New York, so she pressures her long-time assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her. She tells him that being sent back would hurt his dream of becoming an editor. A U.S. immigration officer named Gilbertson warns the couple that if they are lying about their marriage, Margaret will be deported forever, and Andrew could be fined $250,000 or jailed for up to five years. Margaret agrees to let Andrew become an editor and to publish a book he suggested.

They travel to Sitka, Alaska, where Andrew grew up. Margaret is surprised to learn that Andrew’s family is wealthy. At a welcome party, Margaret meets a waiter named Ramone and Andrew’s former girlfriend, Gertrude. Andrew’s father, Joe, criticizes Andrew for using Margaret to advance his career. Andrew announces their engagement. The next day, Andrew’s mother, Grace, and grandmother, Annie, take Margaret to a bar for her bachelorette party, where Ramone performs as a dancer. Gertrude tells Margaret that Andrew once proposed to her in college, but she refused because she did not want to move to New York. Margaret overhears Andrew’s parents arguing about a conflict between Andrew and Joe. She asks Andrew about it, but he refuses to talk. She shares stories about her life with him, and they grow closer.

Andrew’s family convinces him and Margaret to marry the next day. Margaret tells Andrew that she has not felt like part of a family since her parents died when she was 16. Gilbertson has spoken to Joe about the possible fraud and has flown to Sitka. Gilbertson offers the couple a deal: If they admit the marriage is fake, Margaret will be deported, but neither will face more punishment. They refuse, saying they are truly in love.

The wedding is officiated by Ramone. The ceremony begins normally, but Margaret stops it and confesses the truth. Gilbertson tells her she has 24 hours to leave for Canada. She returns to the house to pack. Andrew tries to stop her, but she has already left. She leaves a note promising to publish the book he suggested before departing. Gertrude comforts Andrew as he argues with Joe. During the argument, Annie has a heart attack. As they are taken to the hospital, she urges Joe and Andrew to reconcile before she dies. She later admits she faked the heart attack to catch Margaret and tells the pilot to change course to meet her plane. Margaret’s plane leaves just as they arrive. Andrew’s parents realize he truly loves Margaret.

Andrew arrives at the New York office as Margaret is packing. He tells her he loves her, and they kiss. They tell Gilbertson they are now genuinely engaged. Gilbertson says, “Let’s do it!” During the end credits, Gilbertson asks Margaret, Andrew, his parents, and Ramone increasingly strange questions.

Cast

• Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate, the top editor at a large book publisher in New York City
• Ryan Reynolds as Andrew Paxton, Margaret's assistant who wants to become an editor
• Malin Åkerman as Gertrude, Andrew's former girlfriend
• Craig T. Nelson as Joe Paxton, Andrew's father, who owns the family businesses that control the town of Sitka
• Mary Steenburgen as Grace Paxton, Andrew's mother
• Betty White as Annie Paxton, Andrew's grandmother and Joe's mother
• Oscar Nunez as Ramone, a person who does many different jobs in Sitka, including waiter, male stripper, shopkeeper, and minister
• Denis O'Hare as Mr. Gilbertson, the immigration officer looking into Margaret's situation
• Michael Nouri as Chairman Bergen, Margaret's boss who is the head of the board of directors
• Aasif Mandvi as Bob Spaulding, a former editor who Margaret's superiors plan to rehire if Margaret is deported because he is the only person with her skills
• Michael Mosley as Chuck, Andrew's friend

Production

Peter Chiarelli wrote the script for the film in 2005. In May 2007, it was announced that Sandra Bullock had been chosen for a lead role in The Proposal. Julia Roberts was first asked to join the film but refused. About two months later, it was reported that plans were being completed for Ryan Reynolds to act alongside Bullock. In January 2008, Touchstone Pictures hired Anne Fletcher to direct the film.

Filming for The Proposal began on April 2, 2008, in Rockport, Massachusetts. Before production started, part of the town was changed to look like Sitka, Alaska, the main setting of the film. The main filming began on April 9 at Bearskin Neck and continued for 24 hours. Filming later took place at the Motif Number One building on Bradley Wharf (April 14–16), the Haskins Building (April 15–18), and the central business district of Rockport (April 17). The main filming moved to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, on April 22 for about two weeks. City officials helped the producers by allowing them to use all the parking lots. Filming was briefly delayed when Bullock and her husband were in a car accident. The wedding scene was filmed in a three-story Victorian home from the 20th century; filming at the home lasted three weeks. In an interview with The New York Times, the home’s owners said that Nelson Coates knocked on their door asking for leaves. The owners directed Coates to other homes but eventually gave him a tour of the house. The filming took place on the first floor of the home. Outside of the Cape Ann area, filming occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, at the State Street Bank Building and in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The Proposal included 350 special effects scenes, with some scenes edited using computer images. The film’s score was composed by Aaron Zigman, who recorded it with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.

As part of a large promotional campaign, Reynolds talked about his role in a nude scene. In an interview with Sky News, Bullock said she was nervous at first but felt more relaxed when others acted normally. She mentioned that producers gave them fig leaves to wear but said the leaves kept falling off. She added, “You could literally see everything.” Reynolds also shared similar thoughts in an interview with People, saying, “Filming a scene that involves being completely naked and taking a few days can be a little awkward.” He continued, “Thankfully, you’re there for so long and you’re doing it for so long that you stop feeling awkward and start having normal conversations—except you’re not wearing pants.”

Release

The film premiered on June 1, 2009, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, and was released to theaters on June 19, 2009.

The Proposal was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on October 13, 2009. It sold more than 2.4 million units during its first week, adding $39.3 million to the box office. In the second week, sales dropped by 70% to 623,744 units, placing it second in DVD sales for that week. By July 2013, The Proposal had sold over 5.6 million units and earned more than $90 million in total sales.

Reception

The Proposal was released in the United States on June 19, 2009. On its first day, it made about $12.7 million in 3,056 theaters, becoming the top movie that day. Over the opening weekend, it made more than $34 million, outperforming Year One, Up, and The Hangover. A survey by Disney showed that about 63% of the opening audience were women, 78% were 18 or older, and 71% were couples. This was the best opening weekend of Sandra Bullock’s career, almost doubling her previous record from the movie Premonition. By October 2011, the film had made over $164 million in the United States and Canada.

Box office results were similar in other countries. In Australia, it was released on June 18, 2009, and made over $2.8 million in its opening weekend. In Russia, it made over $2.6 million, which was 34% of all movie revenue in that country. In South Africa, it debuted at number two, behind Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, but still made over $2.6 million by October 2011. In the United Kingdom, it made about $5.3 million in its first weekend. Worldwide, the film made over $317 million, with $153 million coming from international markets. It was the 21st highest-grossing movie of 2009.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film had a 45% approval rating based on 187 reviews, with an average score of 5.32 out of 10. The site’s summary said, “Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds had good chemistry, but the movie followed a predictable story.” On Metacritic, it had a score of 48 out of 100 based on 30 reviews, meaning critics had mixed or average opinions. Audiences gave it an average grade of “A−” on a scale from A+ to F.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, though he noted the story reused an old idea. He later praised the actors’ performances. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the film, calling it “insipid” and saying the director made the movie feel emotionally distant. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times said Sandra Bullock’s character felt awkward compared to her previous roles. Tim Robey of The Telegraph gave it two out of five stars.

Some critics found humor in the film, such as a scene where an eagle steals Sandra Bullock’s phone and a puppy is used as a trade. Other moments, like a wet slap between characters, were funny. However, some viewers felt disappointed that the movie’s strong setup for a romantic story was overshadowed by weaker elements.

Critics generally praised the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said their interactions were “fresh and irresistible.” Zorianna Kit of The Huffington Post noted that their humor and energy kept audiences entertained. Betsey Sharkley of the Los Angeles Times compared their relationship to a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew. However, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film one out of five stars, saying the romance between the characters felt unconvincing and the story’s jokes were unclear.

Remakes

• It was remade in a different way into Malayalam and called My Boss (2012).
• The Kannada version is named Software Ganda (2014).
• The Tamil version is named Sandakkari (Delayed).

• A Chinese version was planned in June 2016. It is being made by Walt Disney Pictures and Linmon Pictures. The movie will be directed by Yee Chin-yen.
• The Iranian version is called To va man (2011).