I love movies. Most of the time I enjoy action/adventure movies with my husband, perhaps as a way to unwind after serving others or writing all day. People think it’s funny because I write romance, and yet romantic movies are not always my go-to.
There is one romantic comedy that no matter where I see it playing, no matter what I’m doing, every time it’s on, I’m watching it. I stop everything and watch as if I haven’t already watched it a dozen times.
What movie?
The Proposal.
Starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, this movie focuses on a New York City publishing company that only wants the best. Sandra Bullock is the best but it has come at a cost. She’s not nice and everyone fears her.
Ryan Reynolds is his assistant and I love his backstory. He hails from Alaska where his father wants him to take over the family business. Turns out his family is very successful but it isn’t where the character wants to be. He wants to be an author. He’s even given his manuscript to his boss to read. But she told him it wasn’t publishable in order to keep him as her assistant. He’s the best she’s had but is too wounded to let him know.
What makes the story fun, although not completely believable, is that Ms. Bullock’s character, Margaret Tate, is going to be sent back to Canada if she doesn’t get her Visa straightened out. The only way she sees this working to her benefit is to force her assistant, Andrew Paxton, to marry her. This is strictly a business arrangement and feels more like blackmail. But Andrew is savvy and uses the situation to his advantage. He forces her to attend his Grammy’s 90th birthday in Sitka, Alaska.
I loved The Proposal because it did a gr
eat job blending in their backstories. Margaret had a lot of loss and that’s why she’s wounded. It would have been easy to let her just be a mean boss, but she was complex. She was vulnerable. She was funny.
The chemistry between the two was great. Their comedy had great rhythm. I root for them all the time even though I know the ending. That’s the mark of a well written movie.
There are business lessons to take away from The Proposal as well. Margaret sacrificed everything to feel safe within the walls of the corporation. She had no friends, no romance, nothing but her job. When she has her citizenship crisis the job can’t save her. She needs others. For Andrew, he could have also lived safe within the confines of the family business but he left everything to work with a tough boss to pursue his dream.
The Proposal showed me romantic movies are great entertainment, business premises can be funny, and there are lessons to learn even in a comedy.
If you haven’t watched it, I encourage you to. It is PG-13 for language and a couple adult situations.
Like Margaret, Mercy wants to feel safe within her own walls. But she knows its time to step out…
Unlikely Merger
No longer needed as her father’s nurse, Mercy Lacewell attempts to step into his shoes at his acquisitions firm. That means travel, engaging strangers, and making final decisions—nothing she feels equipped to do. If her best friend has her way, Mercy will simply marry one of the single, available men she meets, but they overwhelm her. So handsome and kind. And so many. Even if she felt obliged, how could she ever choose?
Should she shove all attraction aside and focus on her father’s business, or is God warming her heart with the possibility of forever?
Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to find freedom in Christ through surrender. She’s the author of the Amazon bestseller, Entrusted and co-author of the international bestseller The Love Boat Bachelor. She also shared her story in the Amazon bestseller infertility devotional, A Walk in the Valley. She’s the fiction contributing editor for the digital magazine, Imaginate, and blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com.
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Loved this movie
I’m surprised at how much I love it but I watch it every single time. Thanks for reading!
I think every woman has one Sandra Bullock movie on her “All-time Favorites” list. Mine is While You Were Sleeping. 🙂
That was a fun one. I think my runner up is Miss Congeniality. Thanks for leaving a comment, Sandra!
I personally love “The Blind Side.” 🙂
Another good one! Thanks, Jennifer, for hosting me today!