Green Card
Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building's board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré, a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other's nerves.
Despite its tight budget of $12.5M, Green Card became a solid performer, earning $29.9M worldwide—a 139% return.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 4 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Green Card (1990) exhibits deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Peter Weir's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 48 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Brontë Parrish
Georges Fauré
Phil
Lauren Adler
Main Cast & Characters
Brontë Parrish
Played by Andie MacDowell
A controlled horticulturist who enters a marriage of convenience to get a greenhouse apartment, but gradually falls for her fake husband.
Georges Fauré
Played by Gérard Depardieu
A charming French composer who marries for a green card but finds himself genuinely falling in love with his wife of convenience.
Phil
Played by Bebe Neuwirth
Brontë's friend and confidant who is skeptical of her arrangement with Georges.
Lauren Adler
Played by Gregg Edelman
Brontë's wealthy friend who helps facilitate social connections and the apartment opportunity.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bronte Parrish, an environmentalist horticulturist, tours a stunning NYC apartment with a greenhouse that she desperately wants but cannot rent without being married.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Bronte and Georges go through with their marriage of convenience in a quick civil ceremony, each getting what they want: she gets married status for the apartment, he gets his green card application started.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Georges appears at Bronte's apartment, revealing that Immigration has scheduled an interview to verify their marriage is legitimate. They must now pretend to be a real couple or both face serious legal consequences., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The Immigration interview goes surprisingly well despite their obvious differences. False victory: they seem to have fooled the authorities, and both begin to genuinely enjoy each other's company, with romantic feelings emerging., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 80 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Immigration investigators interrogate Bronte and Georges separately in detail, exposing inconsistencies in their stories. The truth is revealed: their marriage is a fraud. Georges faces deportation, and Bronte faces legal consequences., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Georges and Bronte admit their genuine feelings for each other, but recognize that Georges must return to France. They accept the bittersweet truth that their love is real, even though the marriage that brought them together was fake., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Green Card's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Green Card against these established plot points, we can identify how Peter Weir utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Green Card within the comedy genre.
Peter Weir's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Peter Weir films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.2, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Green Card represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Peter Weir filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Peter Weir analyses, see Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Witness and Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bronte Parrish, an environmentalist horticulturist, tours a stunning NYC apartment with a greenhouse that she desperately wants but cannot rent without being married.
Theme
Bronte's friend Phil suggests that real love requires honesty and genuine connection, not convenience - foreshadowing the central question of whether a marriage of convenience can become real.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Bronte's world: her passion for plants, her environmental activism, her desire for the perfect greenhouse apartment, and the mutual arrangement with Georges Fauré, a French composer who needs a green card to stay in America.
Disruption
Bronte and Georges go through with their marriage of convenience in a quick civil ceremony, each getting what they want: she gets married status for the apartment, he gets his green card application started.
Resistance
After the wedding, Bronte and Georges part ways, believing they'll never see each other again. Bronte moves into her dream apartment and begins her new life, while Georges pursues his music career.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Georges appears at Bronte's apartment, revealing that Immigration has scheduled an interview to verify their marriage is legitimate. They must now pretend to be a real couple or both face serious legal consequences.
Mirror World
Georges and Bronte begin their awkward cohabitation, representing two opposite worlds colliding: her uptight, controlled, environmentally-conscious American life versus his passionate, chaotic, artistic French temperament.
Premise
The "fun and games" of two strangers learning to fake being married: memorizing details about each other, Georges moving in temporarily, clashing over lifestyle differences, and the comedy of their incompatibility as they prepare for the immigration interview.
Midpoint
The Immigration interview goes surprisingly well despite their obvious differences. False victory: they seem to have fooled the authorities, and both begin to genuinely enjoy each other's company, with romantic feelings emerging.
Opposition
Complications intensify: Immigration grows suspicious and investigates further. Bronte's wealthy society friends meet Georges at a party where cultural clashes create tension. Their growing real feelings conflict with the fake nature of their arrangement.
Collapse
Immigration investigators interrogate Bronte and Georges separately in detail, exposing inconsistencies in their stories. The truth is revealed: their marriage is a fraud. Georges faces deportation, and Bronte faces legal consequences.
Crisis
Bronte and Georges face the consequences of their deception. They must confront their real feelings for each other against the impossible situation they've created. Both struggle with whether what they feel is real or just circumstantial.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Georges and Bronte admit their genuine feelings for each other, but recognize that Georges must return to France. They accept the bittersweet truth that their love is real, even though the marriage that brought them together was fake.
Synthesis
Georges prepares to leave for France. They share a final goodbye, acknowledging what they've found and lost. Bronte must decide whether to let him go or fight for their unexpected love despite the legal and practical obstacles.
Transformation
Bronte, transformed from someone who wanted a convenient arrangement for an apartment into someone capable of real love and sacrifice, rushes to find Georges, suggesting they can find a way to be together, truly married in spirit if not yet in law.