I loved the movie The Proposal. It has so many good story elements. And who doesn’t like to look at Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds?

Yes, there were a few cliche’s in the movie. But the director made them work, added a twist or something to make the cliche not so much the cliche.

Susie didn’t like the movie as much as me. So, I sent her an email on why and how the movie worked. See my exhaustive (and brilliant 😉 list below.

Spoiler Ahead! Be warned.

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1. Great casting with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Despite their age difference, they had chemistry on screen. I believed in the relationship and I wanted to stay with them through the end.

2. Sandra (Margaret) created, at least for me, the strong but vulnerable woman. Ryan (Drew) clearly pulled off “I can’t stand her.”

3. I love how she fired Bob, then finds out she’s being deported and Bob is getting her job. What a great day for Drew! Until he finds out he’s “engaged” to Margaret. No way is he going through with this. We figure he’d protest. But the writer cleverly upped Drew’s stakes when Margaret reminded him Bob would fire him and his dream of being an executive editor would be over. He’d have to start all over. I love that he brought Margaret a novel to buy. It showed his goal and heart, and when she turned him down, it revealed more of her goal and heart.

4. I love that the dialog was unique. He could’ve called her a *itch or hard a$$. But the writer didn’t go there. Instead, Drew tells Margaret, “You have to stop snacking on children while they sleep.” Brilliant!

5. The relationship with his father showed his own hardness AND weakness. They didn’t over play this or belabor it, but it gave us more insight into Drew.

6. I loved the set up of him hacking out the canoe to get over his anger. The women wisely leave him alone and he, still digging his music with head phones on, goes into the bedroom to take a shower where he runs into Margaret.  It was a cliche, but they played it just a tad off beat so that it worked. The set up was believable. I bought that he was still listening to his iTunes as he entered the room and was oblivious to anything around him.

7. I kept waiting for Drew to tell Margaret about his life. BUT, when she gave up her story as they were going to sleep that night, it showed her opening up, her vulnerability. She was learning about him through his family. Then we see how her openness effected him. We saw it in his face.

8. When Drew pulled Margaret from the water, (she couldn’t swim) it was symbolic. He was rescuing her from her own self. She didn’t know how to swim in life and she got knocked overboard by the deportation thing. He rescued her from the water, AND from being deported. He played the true hero! When he hugged her to keep her warm after falling in, it was a picture of what he was doing to her heart. And her life. Helping her engaged love in his heart. You can’t rescue someone and not love them.

9. I hated the stripper scene. (Yes folks, a male stripper scene. sigh.) BUT, they turned it upside down. Any other rom com would’ve had the hesitant heroine getting into it by the end of the striper dance. Not our girl Margaret. The director or writer turned a cliche upside down by Margaret NOT getting into it. She stayed in character.

How can we turn our cliche moments, and we all have them, into something unique?

10. I loved that Drew’s ex didn’t try to bust them up. That she was truly an ex. Typical fashion of movies and novels, the writer would’ve used the ex as a foil. But this movie didn’t.

How can you use your hero or heroine’s ex in a creative way? Take a typical scenario and turn it upside down.

11. I loved the wedding gown scene when Margaret told Drew’s mother, who was dreaming about spending holidays with her son and his new wife, “We could come here.” This showed she was already warming up to the family, something she didn’t have. And when Grammy gave her the necklace, it showed her vulnerability and desire to be loved. As we all do.

How can we SHOW our characters changing? Don’t tell. Show!

12. When she walks out of the wedding after telling the guest the WHOLE truth, (also cliche,) I believed she became her old hard self again — in command and cowgirling up. But this time, not for herself, but for Drew and his family. She knew she’d lose her job and have to go back to Canada. But she didn’t care. So, she pulled up her tough-girl boot straps and came clean. Excellent.

We all have those scenes where the heroine or hero must face truth. How can you do it in a unique way? How does it show the true heart of the character. Margaret’s strong, tough self was negative before, but this time, it was positive.

13. The Race to the airport, another cliche, but Drew didn’t catch her just as she was boarding. So the writer avoided a movie disaster there!  And, the plane didn’t turn around. Another movie disaster avoided. Drew had to fly to NY to catch her. Good job.

Do you have an airport scene or a departure scene that looks like something we’ve seen or read in a hundred other movies or books? Take a step back and figure out something new and different.

14. Sitka. What an amazing location. And NOT typical at all.

15. I wanted the relationship with the dad to be more developed, but not by much. Clearly, the dad worked all his life for something no one wanted. What an amazing metaphor. He loved his accomplishments more than his son’s happiness. I think if the writer or director had played that out more, it would’ve gone cliche beyond redemption. We see that Dad as a hard, driving businessman who wanted to corral his son into hold up his empire. He didn’t care if it made Drew happy or not. Dad pursued his dreams but then gave no regard to his son pursuing his dreams. So, I could see why it bothered Drew so much. Why he hacked at the canoe.

The canoe, btw, GREAT imagery. Something to float on water. IE, floating on life. Drew “hacking” out his own destiny. Instead of having him get drunk (cliche and boring) and slobbering all over Margaret confessing his ill will toward his father, we are SHOWN his emotions. And the canoe stays on set as a reminder. I could go on, but you get what I mean.

Can you create an object in your story to symbolize the emotion or heart of one of your characters, or reflect the story theme. In Love Starts With Elle, I had Heath carving an angel from a tree stump. This symbolized something for him as well as the story.

16. They built up the sexual tension but Drew never put the moves on Margaret. Didn’t even kiss her until the end. I think there was a hint of him being attracted to her all along. The “you’re hot, but I hate your guts” scenario Maass talks about. 🙂 When he told her she was beautiful, there was real emotion in his voice.

17. The movie did a good job of not having Drew over speak. When the immigration officer shows up in Sitka, it’s odd that Drew refused to do what he and his asked. Instead, he chooses to marry Margaret. He stuck to his guns. It showed he wasn’t a wimp and that he might be developing real love for Margaret. Yet, he stayed in rescuer mode.

Does your hero have deep feelings for the heroine that are masked by utter disdain? Or ridiculous circumstances? How can you demonstrate those deeper feelings?

18. Finally, I laughed. I got teary-eyed. 😉

I can see how some might not like the movie, but for me I saw how a standard, run of the mill rom com went a bit further by taking a different look at life.

For example, when Margaret tries to convince Drew into marrying her and not walking, she doesn’t have goods on him like… he slept with the CEO’s daughter. Cliche, typical rom com would’ve run that scenario. No, in The Proposal, they put his job on the line. “Bob will fire you because you worked for me.” EXACTLY. We’ll done.

Is there a plot point, or pressure point you’re using to motivate your characters but you’re borderlining on cliche or thin motivation. Rethink it. Take the time to back track through your story and add layers and depth.

Happy writing every one!