The Proposal Parent Guide
Given the great comedic chemistry percolating between the members of this cast, it is too bad the filmmakers invited so much unnecessary sexual humor to this engagement party.
Parent Movie Review
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is demanding, driven and emotionally distanced from the other employees at Golden Books—all qualities that contribute to her success as the editor-in-chief. However, those traits don’t endear her to the other workers in the company.
Normally that wouldn’t be a problem for the reclusive publishing supervisor. But Margaret has just discovered she has breached the limitations of her U. S. Visa application and is about to be deported back to Canada.
Looking for a quick fix to her problem, she announces her engagement to her subjugated personal assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). The revelation unleashes a flurry of surprised whispers at work and raises suspicions at the immigration office where the newly engaged couple meets Mr. Gilbertson (Denis O’Hare). Reciting a long list of criminal offenses for participating in a “marriage of convenience,” the government employee cautions the duo about tying the knot under false pretenses.
Yet despite the severe warning, Margaret is determined to carry out her plan in order to keep her job. Jetting off to Alaska to celebrate the 90th birthday of Andrew’s Grandma Annie (Betty White), the pair publicizes their upcoming nuptials to a houseful of unsuspecting family and friends. While Andrew’s mother (Mary Steenburgen) happily begins organizing a wedding, his father (Craig T. Nelson) suspects something sinister is behind the announcement.
Though the film follows a predictable formula for romance comedies, the on-screen antics between Reynolds and Bullock provide plenty of laughs as the conspirators both try to get the upper hand on the other. Meanwhile, each of them is facing their own personal fears and troubled pasts. Considering the fluffy nature of the script, the movie also offers some touching moments as the couple considers the effects their fabricated romance might have on others if it is discovered.
But while those factors all help elevate The Proposal beyond the average fare for this genre, some of the film’s content will make it difficult to share this story with your family. Along with a number of sexually charged innuendos, Andrew’s grandma frequently comments on the premarital sexual activity she believes is taking place behind closed doors. While out with the girls in the tiny Alaskan community where Andrew grew up, Margaret is introduced to the town’s male entertainer who does a striptease act and lap dance for the embarrassed fiancée. After showering to clean up from her uncomfortable encounter, the naked Margaret runs full body into an equally unclothed Andrew in their shared bedroom. (Buttock and barely concealed frontal nudity is shown.)
Given the great comedic chemistry percolating between the members of this cast, it is too bad the filmmakers invited so much unnecessary sexual humor to this engagement party.
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Denis O’Hare, Betty White.. Running time: 106 minutes. Theatrical release June 19, 2009. Updated November 14, 2020About author
The Proposal
Rating & Content Info
Why is The Proposal rated PG-13? The Proposal is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content, nudity and language.
The film contains brief scenes of social drinking at home and the depiction of women drinking in a bar. Couples argue verbally on several occasions. A man is slapped across the face. An eagle captures a small animal and flies off with it. Comments are made about a couple’s premarital sexual activity. During a striptease act, a chubby male dancer thrusts and gyrates while women stuff money into his revealing underwear. He also performs a lap dance for a customer. After showering, a naked woman is repeatedly shown with private body parts only partially concealed. Later she runs full-body into a naked man. Buttock nudity and partially obscured frontal female nudity is shown during the scenes. Crude jokes are made about body functions and sexual activity. A woman talks about being pregnant at her wedding. Crude anatomical terms are frequently used along with profanities, terms of Deity and vulgarities.
Page last updated November 14, 2020
The Proposal Parents' Guide
Actress Betty White who plays Grandma Annie is an animal activist who is heavily involved in finding homes for displaced dogs and cats. How do other actors and actresses use their fame to promote or support different causes?
What impact does their relationship with their parents have on both Andrew and Margaret? How does that affect the connection between the couple?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of The Proposal movie is October 13, 2009. Here are some details…
Release Date: 13 October 2009
The Proposal also releases as a 2-Disc Set (DVD or Blu-ray). Both formats offer audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French and Spanish) and subtitles in French and Spanish, along with the following extra materials:
- Audio Commentary (by director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli).
- Alternate Ending (with optional commentary by Anne Fletcher and Peter Chiarelli).
- Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by Anne Fletcher and Peter Chiarelli)
- Set Antics: Outtakes And Other Absurdities From THE PROPOSAL.
- Digital copy.
Related home video titles:
Author C.S. Lewis finds himself falling in love with an American woman who is seeking a marriage of convenience in Shadowlands. A widower is attracted to a woman he meets in a bookstore—then discovers she is his brother’s new girlfriend in Dan in Real Life.
Anne Fletcher, directed this movie, as well as 27 Dresses and <i>Step Up. Sandra Bullock plays another women engaged to a man who knows nothing about the arrangement in the movie While You Were Sleeping.