The Proposal: Movie Review

The Proposal

Review by Stacey Tuttle

It’s often said that “love conquers all”, but I think the Bible says it better: ‘Love covers over all wrongs” (Prov. 10:12 and I Pe 4:8). That seems to be the over-arching message in The Proposal – love conquering and covering over all wrongs.

Here are two of the most obvious ways this plays out:

• Stiff, unsympathetic, workaholic Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock)becomes yielding, caring and more balanced
• Ryan Reynolds’ character, Andrew Paxton, can’t stand his boss, Margaret, but through love is amazingly able to look past / forgive all past offenses (there were many)

Here is the question: is this just a romantic comedy with a happy ending, or is there truth to it’s message? Is love able to cover and conquer like The Proposal indicates that it can? Can someone like Margaret change? And is it realistic to think Andrew can forgive and see past so much history, so many past offenses? Maybe, a “realist” might point out, if the story were to continue we might find that down the road Margaret returns to her former self. She becomes hardened and controlling again, walking all over Andrew with disdain and disrespect. And Andrew finds that he resents the way she treats him and has no more love covering over her offenses…he remembers every one. It often happens. But, is that because love failed to cover wrongs and conquer all, or because they failed to love? I suggest the latter. Falling in love is easy. Maintaining love is hard. This is why the rom-coms are generally focused on falling in love. And nearly every story of falling in love is also a story love’s redeeming, transforming power. The real question becomes, not whether love is capable of the transformations we see in The Proposal, but rather, how to hold on to that love and it’s transforming, conquering, covering power.

This is the wonderful thing about Christianity – God’s love for us never changes. He is perfect, ultimate love. As we come to know that love better, we also come to see how his love covers over all our wrongs and helps us love others better. “Spreadin’ the love” also spreads that covering of wrongs. So, let the story of transformation which happens in The Proposal and so many rom-coms remind you of the perfect love and give you a little check – “Am I loving others in a way that covers wrongs?”

Questions for Discussion:

• Do you feel loved, therefore covered, or do you feel exposed? Before man? Before God?
• Do you find in your relationships that after the newness, love ceases to cover over the wrongs it once did? If so, how might you rekindle that covering, conquering, redeeming sort of love?
• What was your response to the transformation in the main characters (both individually and in their feelings toward each other)? Was it realistic, unrealistic or just wishful thinking? Do you think that if people loved the way Jesus taught it would make a difference?