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 small-scale budget of $12.5M, Green Card became a financial success, earning $29.9M worldwide—a 139% return.
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) reveals deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Peter Weir's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-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.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bronte Parrish, a Manhattan horticulturist, desperately searches for an apartment with a greenhouse to pursue her passion for plants. Georges Faure, a French composer, needs a green card to stay in America. Two separate worlds defined by their distinct needs.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Immigration officials inform Georges and Bronte they will be investigated to verify their marriage is legitimate. What was meant to be a simple paper transaction becomes a serious threat—they must now convince the INS they are truly married or face deportation and fraud charges.. 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 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Georges arrives at Bronte's apartment with his belongings—he must move in to make the marriage appear real. Bronte reluctantly allows this crude, unpredictable foreigner into her carefully controlled sanctuary. The charade is now fully committed; there's no turning back., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 81 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The INS interview goes disastrously wrong. Under separate interrogation, Georges and Bronte give contradictory answers about their life together. Their fraud is exposed. Georges faces deportation, and Bronte faces legal consequences. The relationship—both fake and the real feelings developing—dies., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Bronte rushes to find Georges before he leaves. She confesses her true feelings, offering genuine emotion without guarantee of outcome. Georges reciprocates. Though he must still leave, they share an authentic connection. The finale resolves the thematic question: real relationship triumphs over fraudulent convenience., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Green Card's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. 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 Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Peter Weir analyses, see The Mosquito Coast, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Fearless.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bronte Parrish, a Manhattan horticulturist, desperately searches for an apartment with a greenhouse to pursue her passion for plants. Georges Faure, a French composer, needs a green card to stay in America. Two separate worlds defined by their distinct needs.
Theme
Bronte's friend Lauren warns her about the marriage scheme: "You can't fake a relationship." The theme is stated—authenticity versus deception, and whether genuine connection can grow from fraudulent beginnings.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Bronte's cultured, ordered Upper West Side life—her work with plants, her circle of sophisticated friends, her engagement to her plants rather than people. Georges is shown as a passionate, impulsive artist navigating New York's immigration bureaucracy. Their worlds are incompatible.
Disruption
Immigration officials inform Georges and Bronte they will be investigated to verify their marriage is legitimate. What was meant to be a simple paper transaction becomes a serious threat—they must now convince the INS they are truly married or face deportation and fraud charges.
Resistance
Georges and Bronte resist the reality of their situation. They awkwardly attempt to learn basic facts about each other, rehearsing their fake history. Bronte wants to maintain her pristine life; Georges needs to stay in America. Both debate whether they can pull off the deception.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Georges arrives at Bronte's apartment with his belongings—he must move in to make the marriage appear real. Bronte reluctantly allows this crude, unpredictable foreigner into her carefully controlled sanctuary. The charade is now fully committed; there's no turning back.
Premise
The "fun and games" of the fake marriage premise. Georges disrupts Bronte's life with his messiness, his music, his uninhibited passion. Cultural clashes create comedy: he smokes, she forbids it; he cooks elaborate meals, she eats simply; he's loud, she craves quiet. Despite herself, Bronte begins to soften.
Opposition
The INS investigation intensifies. Bronte's fear of exposure grows as Georges becomes more emotionally invested. Her friends grow suspicious. The closer they become emotionally, the more dangerous the lie becomes. Bronte pulls away, trying to maintain the boundary between fake and real.
Collapse
The INS interview goes disastrously wrong. Under separate interrogation, Georges and Bronte give contradictory answers about their life together. Their fraud is exposed. Georges faces deportation, and Bronte faces legal consequences. The relationship—both fake and the real feelings developing—dies.
Crisis
Georges prepares to leave America. Bronte returns to her empty apartment and greenhouse, having what she always wanted—but now it feels hollow. She faces the truth: she fell in love with Georges, but her inability to be honest and vulnerable cost her that connection. Dark reflection on authenticity and emotional risk.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Bronte rushes to find Georges before he leaves. She confesses her true feelings, offering genuine emotion without guarantee of outcome. Georges reciprocates. Though he must still leave, they share an authentic connection. The finale resolves the thematic question: real relationship triumphs over fraudulent convenience.