THE PROPOSAL- MOVIE REVIEW

Events that mark the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end of THE PROPOSAL

One of the events is when Margaret’s visa expires and she has to be deported. Thinking the scheduled meeting is to talk about her second promotion raise, she is astonished as she is informed of the deportation plan back to Canada for having an expired visa. Along the conversation, Andrew pops into the office to fetch her for an interview that was awaiting her from another office. When Margaret sees Andrew, she hatches this idea of using him to remain in New Yolk until her visa is renewed. So she calls him close and announces to the boss that they were going to get married (Pete 15). She then asks the manager if that was not reason enough to stay along her future husband since very soon they were going to be husband and wife. Andrew is very surprised of all the sudden happenings, but somehow is convinced by Margaret’s’ assurances. Back in the office, Andrew tells her that he won’t marry her, and Margaret blackmails him with his job. They then settle on a deal where Andrew would receive a promotion and get his book published. They are then referred to the immigration offices for an interview about their upcoming proposal where they both agree it would be that weekend in Alaska, during the ninetieth birthday party of his grandmother. The writer of the script set this scene in a hilarious aspect with much suspense to bring the uncertainty imagination of what will happen to the audience (Walter 39).

The other event is meeting up the Andrews’ family in Alaska. Margaret is informed that her room reservation has been canceled so that she would stay with the family. They are both allocated one room to share, and Margaret finds this very uncomfortable. Andrew is forced to spend on the floor while Margaret spent on the bed. In the morning the grandmother surprises them with breakfast and while knocking at the door, Andrew rushes to join Margaret on the bed where they both pretend they slept together and were actually in a cuddling posture. Margaret likes the family and realizes that she had missed a lot of ‘family-time’ in her life, especially since her mother died when she was just sixteen. She realizes that Andrew's family was wealthy, but Andrew had issues with the family, especially after she overheard his conversation with his father. That night, she asks Andrew why they were arguing with the father, but Andrew changes the topic by telling her not to take it the wrong way if he said he told her she was very attractive (YouTube).

The other event is when the grandmother of Andrew fakes heart attack when Andrew and the family are disappointed at the altar by Margaret confession, trying to cease the yelling between Andrew and his father. Andrew had previously seen this coming as he imagined that if Gammie found out that the whole thing was not real, she would die. An ambulance is called instantly to rush Gammie to the hospital. Grace, Andrews’s mother, Joe, Andrews’ father, and Andrew accompany Gammie in the charter, and she opens her eyes and asks the boys to stop fighting and makeup. She lies back calmly and asks the spirits to take her soul, but suddenly sits upright and says they are not ready to take her up yet. She then orders the pilot to change plans and head to the airport so they would catch up with Margaret before she left. Unfortunately, they couldn’t catch her plain, but Gammie convinces Andrew that Margaret couldn’t have confessed unless she truly loved him, just the way he also came to realize he did (YouTube).

What are Margaret and Richard’s goals at the beginning of the script?

Margaret is a chief editor at the New Yolk Publisher, and her goal is to have massive success in her work and get a promotion raise. She is a tough woman, who, besides losing her parents at the age of sixteen, grew up to be an independent and ambitious woman. She will not let anyone or anything come between her and her goals and, as a result, happens to develop a very strict character. Her employees loathe her because they think she is too hard on them and unnecessarily strict. On the other hand, Andrew, her secretary, wants to become an editor but Margaret won’t promote him even after working for her for a whole three consecutive years. Andrew, who is from a wealthy family, abandons all his family wealthy to follow his dream of becoming a successful editor and also publish his articles. However, his dream seems to take so long after his boss, Margaret, seems not to recognize his efforts even after three years working for her.

What obstacles, internal or external, prevent Margaret and Richard from reaching their goals during the script?

There are many obstacles preventing Margaret and Andrew from reaching their goals. Margaret is faced with immigration laws that require her to leave New Yolk because her visa is expired. If she happens to move, then her work is jeopardized. On the other hand, Andrew has so many obstacles from his boss, who is strict beyond measure, and even shows how tough she can be by firing Bob for failing to schedule an important interview with a client (Pete 8). Margaret is very tough and strict on everyone in the office and has not recognized his work for three years to warrant him a promotion. Margaret has also refused to publish Andrews’ articles, and this derails his dream. According to Walter, (p. 311), using the real characters that the audience associates with makes a play real and brings out the concept in a way that makes sense.

How do their goals change as the script progresses?

When Margaret is faced with problems from the immigration office, due to her expired visa and is at risk of a threat to be deported, all her plans take another root when she decides to blackmail Andrew to remain in New Yolk. Stunned, Andrew turns down her request to marry her but when she threatens him with his job, he also demands that they strike a deal that would benefit him in return. Margaret agrees to give him a promotion and publish his book too. Their proposal is a ‘staged event’ from the word go, until later in Alaska, when Margaret confesses about it to the congregation that had turned up for their wedding. This changes the whole course of their proposal and they later realize that they had fallen for each other when Andrew shows up in the office just in time when Margaret is packing; and he officially proposes to her.

Three examples of ACTIONS or DIALOGUE employed by the screenwriter to convey either Margaret or Richard’s personality

According to Walter (p.217), a director should be able to bring out events that reveal actors personality and the director of the Movie ‘The Proposal’ did so in the following areas to bring out Margaret’s character.

1. She has managed to be independent even after losing her parents at the age of sixteen by being a hard worker. When Margaret enters the office, all the employees alert each other of her arrival and send each other messages that show just how much they loathe her. This is because she is too tough and strict. (Pete 4-5).

2. She shows her determination to remain in New Yolk and focus on the goals while she makes Andrew the solution to her plan. She pushes on with the idea until she manages to convince everyone, including the immigration officers (Pete 15).

3. Margaret is honest and trustworthy because, even besides deciding to pull out of the wedding plan and leaves Alaska, she still keeps her promise to promote Andrew and publish his book. This is also seen when she decides not to fool the family any longer and confesses to the crowd and announces the farce (Pete 98).

How are supporting characters used to help us better understand the main characters? Give three specific examples.

1) The employees are used to show the audience how strict and feared Margaret is by the way they behave whenever she is around. These employees loathe her so much that it is clearly evident whenever she happens to appear before them.

2) Joe, Andrews’ father, is used to show the audience the character of Andrew. Andrew and Joe are having a difficult time trying to let each other understand why he left the family empire for New Yolk and why he had to chase his dream. The High school sweetheart to Andrew also turned down his marriage proposal so as not to go to New Yolk.

3) When Gammie asked them to wed in the Barn and cited ‘before she died,’ they agreed to it because they were compassionate even though it wasn’t their plan.

Works Cited

Pete Chiarelli, (2006), The Proposal.

Walter, Richard. Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing. New York, N.Y: Plume, 2010. Print.

YouTube, Web, 07 July 2013, from: http://youtu.be/9O-rdfJ5PxQ