Usually the man kneels down to propose to a woman, but in the movie "Leap Year," the main character, Anna, played by Amy Adams, attempts to reverse the norm by deciding to propose to her boyfriend of four years. It is an Irish tradition for a woman to propose on a leap year, which comes once in four years, and so she sets off for Ireland to find her boyfriend-doctor and make things official.
In the beginning of the movie, we get a glimpse of Anna’s relationship with Jeremy, played by Adam Scott. Jeremy is a busy cardiologist who walks around in a perfect suit-and-tie. Being the busy man he is, he leaves in the middle of their date to tend to an emergency. Amy, all the while, is under the impression that she is about to be proposed to and has to act happy when she receives diamond earrings as a present, instead of a diamond ring.
Instead of expressing her disappointment, however, she masks her feelings and instead gives a graceful smile. She understandingly lets him leave and is left sitting in a fancy restaurant alone.
Clearly, she is not being loved the way she deserves to be loved. Being the strong and determined woman she is, however, she tries harder--truly believing in their love.
When she sets foot in Ireland, a serious of unfortunate events leads her to meeting Declan, played by Matthew Goode. He is enjoined with the task of getting her to Dublin before the 29th. This simple, laid-back Irish man teases her and brings lots of laughter to the movie.
First of all, he is completely honest and real. He laughs in her face when she tells him that she is going to propose to her boyfriend, exclaiming: “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”
He also mocks her for giving so much importance to her Louis Vuitton suitcase:
Yeah, many times he can be a little jerk--like the time he jokingly called her an “arrogant American,” but you eventually come to appreciate Declan’s good-heartedness and playful humor--especially once you compare him to the stuck-up Jeremy.
Declan sees Anna at her best and worst and truly loves her, staying by her side during the worst days--and most adventurous--of her life.
He takes her to the top of this beautiful castle, and relates a traditional Irish love-story. As they stare at the beautiful view, she hears the train and tries to get back to catch it but unfortunately ends up soaked and covered in mud--hopeless and distraught.
The stationmaster remarks: “In the old days, l could have held it for you, but it's all 'time is money' nowadays.” Fortunately, he gives them a place to stay at his house...the only thing is they have to act like husband and wife since the stationmaster’s wife kicked out the last couple since they were unmarried.
As you can imagine at this point, this leads to funnier and more delightful scenes as both Anna and Declan spend more time together and get to know each other even more.
When the day finally comes for Anna to see Jeremy again, we can sense the inner conflict growing inside both Anna’s and Declan’s hearts--as they both keep their feelings and love for each other silent. Jeremy ends up proposing to Anna--and she accepts.
But this one incident happens where she finally realizes Jeremy is not the one for her. Declan had once asked her: “If your house was on fire and you had 60 seconds, what would you take?” His answer was a family ring, an heirloom that belonged to his mother. To find out what Jeremy would grab, she purposely pulls the fire alarm.
Jeremy chooses to grab laptops, cameras, and phones commenting something about the facebook video he posted of the proposal…
This moment was crucial for Anna, as she tells Declan later when she is about to propose to him: “When my 60 seconds came around I realized I had everything I ever wanted... but nothing I really needed.”
Ultimately, Anna realized that her $600 shoes, Louis Vuitton bag, and diamond ring, are not what makes her happy.
Declan makes her happy--a man who genuinely enjoys her company, is silly, funny and never too busy for her. She basically finds her soulmate in her best friend who teaches her to “stop trying to control everything in the known universe...” and to “have a little faith that it will all work out.”
