The 2009 romantic comedy “ The Proposal” from Touchstone Pictures was directed by Anne Fletcher with the screenplay written by Pete Chiarelli. Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O’Hare, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nuñez, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Nouri, Michael Mosley, Dale Place, Alicia Hunt, Alexis Garcia and Kortney Adams.
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) has earned the reputation as a no-nonsense, hard-driving editor at one of New York’s top publishing houses. She is over-bearing and also one of the best editors in the field. But suddenly she is told by the top brass that they have received notice that her VISA has expired and she is being deported to Canada. This could cost her everything unless she proves she has a legitimate reason to stay.
For three years, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) has worked as Margaret’s assistant, tolerating her bad behavior and doing everything he can to earn a promotion to assistant editor. When he receives his clue from Margaret to rescue her from the meeting, he finds Margaret announcing their engagement.
After being ordered to marry her, Andrew uses her dilemma to demand the promotion that he has earned. Facing deportation, she agrees and they both begin to learn what they need to know about each other for the scheme to work. At their first appointment with a skeptical INS agent, they discover they will be tested the next Monday. Meanwhile, Andrew had plans to fly home that weekend and Margaret goes with him.
The weekend celebration is for his grandmother Annie’s (Betty White) 90th birthday in Sitka, Alaska. Margaret is totally unprepared for the wilderness and makes a strange impression on both his mother Grace, (Mary Steenburgen) and his grandmother. When they finally manage to get Margaret and all of her luggage down to the boat, she is completely stunned to see that the Paxton name is on most of the town’s businesses and that Andrew’s home is on its own island.
As Andrew and Margaret meet his family and friends, the announcement of their marriage doesn’t exactly thrill everyone, because their stories are not the same. The tension between Andrew and his father (Craig T. Nelson) is obvious and Margaret is completely surprised by the warm reception Andrew’s family gives her. But when Grandma Annie suggests that the wedding be part of her birthday celebration, Margaret is faced with the prospect of the INS seeing through her story and sending Andrew to jail for fraud.
