The Proposal (2009)

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is the executive editor-in-chief of a book publishing company, Colden Books, who forces her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid being deported to Canada. He grudgingly accepts, under the condition that he is promoted to the position of editor. When the government investigates, the two are forced to spend the weekend with his parents in Alaska in order to sell the lie. The family suggest they could marry the same weekend, and they reluctantly accept. They start to fall genuinely in love as they spend more and more time together. Because of this, during the wedding ceremony, Margaret decides she cannot do this to Andrew and confesses the business arrangement in front of everyone--including the immigration officer handling their case. She is then told that she has 24 hours to get back to Canada, and thus goes back to New York to pack her things. Upon doing so, however, Andrew shows up at the office and confesses his love for her in front of the entire office staff, proposing marriage all over again.

When high-powered book editor Margaret faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew, who she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.

And again with the I-just-watched-this-movie-and-it's-freakin-great-and-I-need-to-blog-it-right-now post. Just can't help myself. Ha.

Since this movie just came out this July, I cannot, for the love of Obama, find even a moderately clear digital copy of the film, one not obviously recorded by a criminal hiding a videocam inside his bag and without shadows of people getting up from their seats and doing yawn-arm moves. It's irritating and I almost got a headache from watching the unbelievably blurry video that reminded me of those P50 pirated VCDs you can get almost anywhere. But even though it felt like watching a movie from the 1920s because of the grainy quality, I managed to stick right through the end. Simply because the thing's hilarious and I missed Sandra Bullock's romantic comedy's that I grew up watching.

The sypnosis and the trailer can give you the gist of how the story was but what struck me the most and kept me asking for more are the witty quotes that the actors deliver beautifully. The main leads have tremendous chemistry and it's hard to make a romantic comedy without getting boring in the middle and sappy in the end. This film avoided all of that. Plus the physical comedy in the movie didn't cross over to sleazy or corny at all, at least in my point of view.

Here are some of my favorite lines:

Margaret: Andrew, you know I can't swim!
Andrew: Hence... the *boat.*

Margaret: The board was going to give the position to [someguy].
Andrew: ..So naturally that would require me to marry you.

Margaret: I need you in town this weekend.
Andrew: Oh..
Margaret: Is that a problem?
Andrew: Just my grandmothers ninetieth birthday. nothing, really. i can cancel it.

Margaret: What am i allergic to?
Andrew: Cashews, and the entire spectrum of human emotion.
Margaret: That's funny. That's very funny.

I'm not sure if this is showing in the cinemas here in the Philippines or you have to resort to online movie searches like I did but if in case you're willing to spend P150 for a cinema ticket or watch a video that can make you think you're going blind, then I strongly recommend this to all of you who wants to have a great romantic comedy time.