The Proposal (2009 film)

Margaret Tate is a Canadian editor-in-chief at a New York City book publishing company. Feared by her subordinates for her demanding nature, she is informed of her imminent deportation due to an expired visa. To retain her position, Margaret coerces her assistant, Andrew Paxton, into agreeing to a sham engagement, promising to promote him to editor and publish a manuscript he has championed.

To make their relationship appear genuine, the pair travel to Andrew's hometown of Sitka, Alaska, to celebrate the 90th birthday of his grandmother, Annie, and meet his parents, Joe and Grace. Margaret is surprised to discover that the Paxtons are wealthy and prominent in the community. Tensions emerge between Andrew and Joe, who disapproves of his son's career choices and suspects ulterior motives behind the engagement. Meanwhile, Margaret and Andrew grow closer, with Margaret gradually revealing a more vulnerable side.

Immigration officer Gilbertson, suspicious of the sudden engagement, arrives in Sitka to investigate the couple. He offers them the opportunity to confess without penalty, but they continue to maintain the ruse. During the wedding ceremony, Margaret has a change of heart and admits to the deception, returning to New York.

Realizing his feelings for Margaret are genuine, Andrew follows her to the office and professes his love. The two reconcile and decide to pursue a real relationship, informing Gilbertson that they are now genuinely engaged.

• Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate, a pushy editor-in-chief at a major New York City book publisher
• Ryan Reynolds as Andrew Paxton, Margaret's assistant whose ultimate career goal is to become an editor
• Malin Åkerman as Gertrude, Andrew's ex-girlfriend
• Craig T. Nelson as Joe Paxton, Andrew's father, who owns the family businesses that dominate the town of Sitka
• Mary Steenburgen as Grace Paxton, Andrew's mother
• Betty White as Annie Paxton, Andrew's paternal grandmother and Joe's mother
• Oscar Nunez as Ramone, a jack-of-all-trades resident of Sitka who holds many jobs including waiter, male stripper, shopkeeper, and minister
• Denis O'Hare as Mr. Gilbertson, the immigration agent investigating Margaret's case
• Michael Nouri as Chairman Bergen, Tate's superior who is the chairman of the board of directors
• Aasif Mandvi as Bob Spaulding, a fired editor who Tate's superiors plan to rehire if Tate gets deported since he is the only one to match her skills
• Michael Mosley as Chuck, Andrew's friend

The screenplay for The Proposal was written by Peter Chiarelli in 2005.^[2] Touchstone Pictures expressed interest in the project soon after. In January 2008, Anne Fletcher signed on to direct the film.^[3]

In May 2007, Sandra Bullock was cast in the lead role of Margaret Tate.^[4] Julia Roberts was originally offered the role but declined.^[5] Two months later, Ryan Reynolds was confirmed as her co-star.^[2] The supporting cast includes Betty White, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and Malin Akerman.

Principal photography began on April 2, 2008, in Rockport, Massachusetts, which was dressed to resemble Sitka, Alaska, the film’s primary setting.^[6] Filming locations included Bearskin Neck, Motif Number 1, and the central business district.^[6][7] The production later moved to Manchester-by-the-Sea, where city officials accommodated the shoot by leasing public parking areas. Additional scenes were filmed in Boston and Lower Manhattan.^[8] The wedding scene was shot in a Victorian home over the course of three weeks.^[6][9] In total, the film includes over 350 shots enhanced with computer-generated imagery.^[10] Filming was briefly delayed due to a minor car accident involving Bullock and her husband.^[11]

Aaron Zigman composed the film's score, which was recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.^[12] In promotional interviews, Bullock and Reynolds discussed filming the nude shower scene, citing the technical challenges and humorous behind-the-scenes experiences that helped ease initial discomfort.^[13][14]

The Proposal held its premiere on June 1, 2009, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California.^[15] It was released theatrically in the United States on June 19, 2009, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under the Touchstone Pictures banner.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Touchstone Home Entertainment on October 13, 2009.^[16] In its first week, it sold over 2.4 million units, generating approximately $39.3 million in revenue. Sales declined by 70% in its second week, with 623,744 units sold, ranking second in DVD sales for that period.^[17] As of July 2013, The Proposal had sold over 5.6 million units in the United States, earning more than $90 million in domestic home media revenue.^[17]

The Proposal was released theatrically in the United States on June 19, 2009. It grossed approximately $12.7 million on its opening day across 3,056 theaters, making it the highest-grossing film of that day.^[18] Over its opening weekend, the film earned over $34 million, outperforming Year One, Up, and The Hangover.^[19] According to exit polling conducted by Disney, 63% of the opening weekend audience was female, 78% were over the age of eighteen, and 71% were in couples.^[19] The debut marked the largest opening weekend of Sandra Bullock's career at that time, nearly doubling the previous record set by Premonition (2007).^[20][1]

The film maintained strong box office performance internationally. In Australia, it opened on June 18, 2009, and grossed over $2.8 million during its opening weekend. In Russia, it earned more than $2.6 million during the same period, accounting for 34% of the nation's total box office revenue that weekend.^[21] In South Africa, the film debuted at number two behind Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and ultimately grossed over $2.6 million.^[21] In the United Kingdom, it opened with an estimated $5.3 million.^[22] By October 2011, The Proposal had grossed over $164 million in the United States and Canada and over $153 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of more than $317 million.^[1] It ranked as the twenty-first highest-grossing film of 2009.^[23]

Despite the film's mixed reviews, critics praised the performances and chemistry between Sandra Bullock (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right).

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Proposal holds an approval rating of 45% based on 187 reviews, with an average score of 5.32/10. The site's consensus reads: "Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds exhibit plenty of chemistry, but they're let down by The Proposal's devotion to formula."^[24] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.^[26]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, acknowledging that the premise was familiar but praising the performances for elevating the material.^[27] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was more critical, describing the film as "insipid" and criticizing its lack of emotional authenticity.^[28] The New York Times' Manohla Dargis commented that Bullock’s role was less compelling than her previous work, writing that she “has always been better in fundamentally independent roles.”^[29] Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded the film two out of five stars, citing a lack of originality.^[30]

The chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds received praise from several reviewers. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote that their interactions were "fresh and irresistible."^[31] Zorianna Kit of The Huffington Post noted that their “undeniable on-screen chemistry” kept audiences engaged, despite the film’s occasional lapses into silliness.^[32] Betsey Sharkley of the Los Angeles Times called their relationship “a cheeky update of The Taming of the Shrew,” and praised Bullock’s physical comedy and Reynolds’ comedic timing.^[33]

Conversely, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was less favorable, awarding the film one out of five stars and stating that the leads' romantic development was unconvincing and lacked genuine chemistry.^[34]The chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds received praise from several reviewers. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote that their interactions were "fresh and irresistible."^[31] Zorianna Kit of The Huffington Post noted that their “undeniable on-screen chemistry” kept audiences engaged, despite the film’s occasional lapses into silliness.^[32] Betsey Sharkley of the Los Angeles Times called their relationship “a cheeky update of The Taming of the Shrew,” and praised Bullock’s physical comedy and Reynolds’ comedic timing.^[33]

Conversely, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was less favorable, awarding the film one out of five stars and stating that the leads' romantic development was unconvincing and lacked genuine chemistry.^[34]

The Proposal has inspired several international remakes across different languages and cultures. A loose Malayalam-language adaptation titled My Boss was released in 2012. Directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Dileep and Mamta Mohandas, the film follows a storyline similar to the original, with a dominant female executive coercing her subordinate into a fake engagement to avoid deportation. In 2014, the Kannada-language film Software Ganda, directed by Venkatesh and starring Jaggesh and Nikita Thukral, also adopted a similar premise.

A Tamil-language remake titled Sandakkari, starring Vimal and Shriya Saran and directed by R. Madhesh, was officially announced as an adaptation of The Proposal. Although production began in 2015, the film faced multiple delays and has not been released as of 2025.

In June 2016, Walt Disney Pictures announced a Chinese-language remake in collaboration with Linmon Pictures. Taiwanese filmmaker Yee Chih-yen was signed to direct the project, which was part of Disney's initiative to localize popular titles for international markets. The remake was intended to reframe the original story within a culturally relevant context for Chinese audiences.^[44]

An Iranian version titled To va man ("You and I") was released in 2011, also loosely inspired by the central premise of a fabricated engagement to avoid immigration consequences.