Ethical Dilemmas In The Proposal Movie

Ethics in Film

Victoria Lynch

24 June 2016

In the movie The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, an ethical dilemma is shown by Sandra Bullock’s character, Margaret Tate. Margaret is the executive editor in chief of a book publishing company and Andrew Paxton is her assistant. Margaret’s visa is soon to be revoked as she violated some of the terms in her work visa. Andrew has worked his way up at the book publishing company and dreams of being an editor at the company. With Margaret on the verge of deportation, she expresses to Andrew that this could also set back all of his accomplishments and he would have to start back at the bottom if he didn’t have her to help him.

The main dilemma of The Proposal is that Margaret bribes Andrew into a fake marriage. In return for the marriage, she promises to make him editor and publish his book. When getting interrogated by a U.S. Immigration Agent, Andrew learns that he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if he is caught lying. Not only is this morally unethical, but also it is

The Paxton family has created a monopolization of the small town of Sitka. They own all of the stores and shops in town; this gives them the ability to control the supply and demand of products as no alternative solutions are within reach due to the location and population of Sitka relative to the other towns nearby. The other business dilemma stems from Oscar Nunez’s character Ramone. Ramone is a jack of all trades as his character is seen serving food as a party host, convenience store clerk, minister, and also the town stripper. These roles do not limit his ability to perform well in all of his jobs, but should any of those jobs carry any moral obligations? In other words, does the fact he is a minister mean that he should not be the town