The Proposal

The Plot
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is the high-powered, no-nonsense editor-in-chief of Colden Books who coerced her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her to avoid being deported to Canada. He grudgingly accepts her “proposal” provided that she promotes him into being an editor and publishes his manuscript. The couple then went to Sitka, Alaska in his hometown where she meets his quirky but endearing family and (gasp!) his ex-girlfriend. With an impromptu wedding in the works and a tenacious immigration official at their heels, both Margaret and Andrew must navigate their way out of one amusing situation after the other without exposing their plan.

And oh, what happens when in their having surprising revelations about the other, the single-minded and fiercely independent Margaret realizes that she has fallen in love with Andrew for real?

My Verdict
I have been an ardent Sandra Bullock fan since I saw the movie Speed thus I make it a point to always watch her movies. And like her other flicks, this one is a gem. I admit though that during the first ten minutes of the movie, I was kind of unnerved, as I wasn’t used to seeing her play an unlovable role. I mean, Sandra usually has endearing roles (think of Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality and Lucy in While You Were Sleeping) thus to see her being called a “witch” took some getting used to. But I guess that’s one of her gifts – making each role her own, that while watching, I began to empathize with those who were put off by Margaret’s icy demeanor.

Quotable Quotes
The movie was very entertaining because of the funny banter from the cast. Below are some of them.

While on the plane bound to Sitka, Alaska and they were trying to get as much information about each other as possible, Andrew said he already knew a lot of things about Margaret, even the fact that she has a tattoo thus it is she who has to catch up on learning things about him. Goaded, she asked,

Margaret Tate: What am I allergic to?
Andrew Paxton: Pine nuts. And the full spectrum of human emotion.
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Grandma Annie: (when Andrew pointed Margaret out to her) Does she prefer Margaret or “Satan’s Mistress?”
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Margaret Tate: Why didn’t you tell me you’re some kind of Alaskan Kennedy?
Andrew Paxton: We were in the middle of talking about you… for the last three years.
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Grandma Annie: (taking a knitted blanket from the cabinet) If you get chilly tonight, use this. It has special powers.
Margaret Tate: Oh. What kind of special powers?
Grandma Annie: I call it the baby maker.
Margaret Tate: Ok. (Turning to Andrew) Better be super careful with this.
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Andrew Paxton:
(after traipsing from Alaska to New York to go after Margaret) Margaret, will you marry me? Because I’d like to date you.
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And my personal favorite is the part where Grandma Annie and Grace Paxton, Andrew’s mom had them narrate how their proposal went. It was just hilarious!

Andrew Paxton: You know what? Actually, Margaret loves telling this story, so I'm just gonna let her go ahead and do that. We should just sit and rapture.

Margaret Tate: Wow, okay... wow, where to begin... the story... Well, um, wow... Okay, well, um, Andrew and I... Andrew and I were about to celebrate our first anniversary together and I knew that he'd been itching to ask me to marry him and he was scared, like a little tiny bird. So, I started leaving him little hints here and there because I knew he wouldn't have the guts to ask...

Andrew Paxton: That's not exactly how it happened.

Margaret Tate: No?

Andrew Paxton: No, no, I mean I picked up on all of her little hints... this woman is about as subtle as a gun. Yeah, no what I was worried about was that she might find this little box...

Margaret Tate: Oh, the decoupage box that he made, where he'd taken the time to cut out twenty little pictures of himself, just pasted all over the box. So beautiful! I opened that beautiful little decoupage and out fluttered these tiny little hand cut heart confetti and once they cleared, I looked down and I saw the most beautiful, big...

Andrew Paxton: ...fat nothing! No ring.

Grandma Annie: No ring?

Grace Paxton: What?

Andrew Paxton: No, but inside that box, underneath all that crap, a handwritten note with the address to a hotel, date and time. Real Humphrey Bogart type stuff. Masculine. Naturally, Margaret, she thought...

Margaret Tate: I thought he was seeing someone else... so it was a terrible time for me, but I went to that hotel anyway, I went there and I pounded on the door. But the door was already unlocked. As I swung open that door, there he was...

Andrew Paxton: Standing.

Margaret Tate: Kneeling.

Andrew Paxton: Like a man.

Margaret Tate: On a bed of rosebuds, in a tuxedo. Your son. Your son... and he was choking back soft, soft sobs. And when he held back the tears and finally caught his breath, he said to me...

Andrew Paxton: 'Margaret, will you marry me?' and she said 'yep', the end!

Wow. If I were among the audience during this amusing exchange, I might not have been able to stifle a giggle!

Please note that I did not take down all these lines, as I was so engrossed with the movie. To view the source of the above quotes, please click HERE.

My favorite scenes
Aside from their narration of how their supposed proposal went, these are some of my favorite scenes of the movie.

When Andrew asked the haughty Margaret to propose to him on the streets of New York - on her knees. And nicely!

When Kevin, the Paxton family dog, got swooped by an eagle and Margaret saved him only to later have her mobile phone taken by the same eagle. She then waved the dog, enticing the eagle with it in hopes of getting her phone back. Grandma Annie and Mrs. Paxton saw her and thought she was playing with the dog and thought it was cute.

When Margaret and Andrew collided into each other buck-naked! And while Margaret was trying to find something to cover herself with, she ended up with the “baby maker,” which she hurriedly tossed away.

When Andrew and Margaret shared some things about their past and they found out that they like the same band and Andrew even sang the song.

When Andrew saw Margaret in one of her unguarded moments at the woods, dancing to Get Low with his Grandma Annie.

When Margaret was reminded of what it was like to have a family and she was so touched to have Grandma Annie and Mrs. Paxton fawn over her while they were having her fitting for her wedding dress. Grandma Annie also gave her a necklace that has been in the family for generations.

When Margaret tearfully admitted the real reason behind their engagement during their “wedding” at the barn. A “chase scene” ensued as Andrew did his best to go after her. He later showed up in the office where he confessed his love for Margaret and asked her to marry him because “he wants to date her.” The two then get engaged for real.

Fashionable Margaret
Another reason why I enjoyed the movie was the fact that Margaret was dressed to the nines. Being a power-driven executive, she does look the part – from her well tailored power suits to her chic bags and killer shoes. They just exude timeless elegance and sophistication.

Over-all movie experience
It’s been a long time since I watched a movie that I really like and I am glad I did not miss watching this on the big screen. It’s too entertaining a movie to miss.