Ryan Gosling is having his moment during awards season, but on Netflix, a romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and the other Ryan, Ryan Reynolds, is having its moment. The film has been in the top ten films list on Netflix UK for two consecutive weeks.
It may have slipped a spot, but The Proposal is currently at the fifth spot on Netflix’s top ten films list in the UK. The film has also managed to charm audiences across the globe, securing a position in the top ten films in 41 countries on Netflix, including Canada and Australia.
Directed by Anne Fletcher, known for her work on popular films like 27 Dresses and Step Up, the film’s screenplay was penned by Peter Chiarelli. The Proposal is an entertaining romcom with consent rules that have not aged well at all in a post-Me Too world.
Released 15 years ago, in 2009, The Proposal is a nostalgic piece of fiction that starred the talented Bullock alongside Reynolds, creating a dynamic on-screen duo. Sandra Bullock brought her signature charm and wit to the character of Margaret Tate, a high-powered Canadian book editor facing deportation from the United States.
In an attempt to evade deportation, Margaret forces her assistant, Andrew Paxton (played by Reynolds), to marry her. Of course, if the genders were reversed, this film would have been a crime drama instead of a romcom, no matter how many funny quips were written into the script. But The Proposal coasted by on the basis that women, systematically and historically, do not have the same sway of power over men in our society.
But, of course, the cold, harsh one melting and falling for the genuine, warm person is a romance trope that is older than Mills & Boons. Plus, there is the hilarious Betty White as Gammy to enjoy in The Proposal.
You can watch The Proposal on Netflix and watch the trailer here:
