Director: Adrian Lyne
Writers: Jack Engelhard, Amy Holden Jones
Photography: Howard Atherton
Music: John Barry
Editor: Joe Hutshing
Cast: Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Seymour Cassel, Oliver Platt, Billy Bob Thornton, Rip Taylor, Billy Connolly, Sheena Easton, Herbie Hancock
About the time Indecent Proposal was released I belonged to the Quality Paperback Book Club, which you may recall retailed by mail a lot of nice trade editions of interesting novels and other fare, in the familiar monthly subscription format. One of the more interesting books I acquired there came in a size actually smaller than mass market, suitable for toting around for social occasions. The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock is full of open-ended questions intended to provoke discussion. For example: Would you rather die peacefully among friends at age 50, or painfully and alone at age 80? Assume that most of the last 30 years would be good ones. Or: Would you give up half of what you now own for a pill that would permanently change you so that one hour of sleep each day would fully refresh you?
The premise of Indecent Proposal is essentially that type of thought experiment. Would you give up your wife for one night to a billionaire in exchange for $1 million? “One million dollars” now immediately brings to mind Dr. Evil in Austin Powers with his little finger poking at the corner of his mouth. But never mind, $1 million still looks like a lot of money to me even today. That is the motivating plot device here. By 1993, it wasn’t just the decision of the husband anymore (in this case, Woody Harrelson as David Murphy). Marriage is a partnership and the wife has a say in it too (in this case, Demi Moore as Diana Murphy). Inevitably, unfortunately, the picture turns into a lot of rancid preening masculinity. This was Harrelson in approximately his promising phase, fresh off Cheers. And with Adrian Lyne directing, it’s just as inevitably full of a lot of sexy agony as well. These three—with Robert Redford, the billionaire—are almost too beautiful for these problems, which their beauty has itself wrought. Artificial, pumped-up beauty runs to all horizons here.
Indecent Proposal was a spring release so maybe not strictly speaking Oscar-bait, but it’s classy and well-appointed enough that its producers likely wouldn’t have minded winning a few of those nice awards (well, what producer wouldn’t?). Instead it racked up a few Razzies: Worst Picture, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screenplay. It was also nominated for Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst Director. Indecent Proposal also got some attention from the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
I’m sorry to say Indecent Proposal mostly deserves all that, with every ‘80s-style romance tic, from director Adrian Lyne's own Flashdance to When Harry Met Sally..., overstaying its welcome into the next decade. The premise has its promises of intrigue but even before the halfway point this movie becomes an exercise in tiresome male angst. David and Diana have a sickeningly cute relationship, with their own little ritualistic “I love you” exchanges. His dream is to be an architect (shades of Art Vandelay) and she helps make ends meet by being a successful realtor with an upscale clientele. She only wants to help make David’s dream come true, etc.
Redford cuts an interesting figure as the billionaire John Gage. Redford was entering the aging portion of his career but still playing it cool like Sundance. He works all right, if a bit creakingly, but the problem with Gage lie more in the script. After the night in question, he becomes a very confusing character, going well beyond merely a creep addicted to power with too much money to throw around. Or maybe that’s exactly what he is. He starts to stalk Diana and takes steps to ruin the lives of the Murphys. Yet it’s clear we’re intended to take this as billionaire love, and Diana is “the one” for him. Or at least, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets now on how this will end. It falls apart with the ludicrous ending, which is so contrived you feel a little insulted, like maybe Lyne and screenwriter Amy Holden Jones are smirking at us for even getting that far. The twists are so wrenching they are closer to slapstick.
As a well-appointed production, I may as well note the music of Indecent Proposal too. It’s brightened by a Sade tune at one point, but otherwise it’s as plodding and sawingly sweet and off-key as the whole movie generally. In fact, the picture also got a Razzie nomination for Worst Original Song for Lisa Stansfield’s “(You Love Me) In All the Right Places,” which is as bad as it sounds. And it was written by John Barry, composer of James Bond themes—and later, lots of upscale movie scores (Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa, etc.). All things considered, the Razzie nomination is the right call for the song, which is so bland I’ve got it playing now, watched the movie yesterday, and nothing about it seems familiar.
It's possible someone somewhere will or has considered Indecent Proposal as one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies, maybe a junior league Showgirls of some kind. I feel dutybound to mention that, even though movies like that are not really a thing I’m interested in (please, you can keep your Manos: The Hands of Fate). I see enough bad movies looking for good ones that seeking out bad ones seems more like a kind of Stockholm syndrome to me. Truly, in practically every way, Indecent Proposal is a wretched thing.
I’m sorry to say Indecent Proposal mostly deserves all that, with every ‘80s-style romance tic, from director Adrian Lyne's own Flashdance to When Harry Met Sally..., overstaying its welcome into the next decade. The premise has its promises of intrigue but even before the halfway point this movie becomes an exercise in tiresome male angst. David and Diana have a sickeningly cute relationship, with their own little ritualistic “I love you” exchanges. His dream is to be an architect (shades of Art Vandelay) and she helps make ends meet by being a successful realtor with an upscale clientele. She only wants to help make David’s dream come true, etc.
Redford cuts an interesting figure as the billionaire John Gage. Redford was entering the aging portion of his career but still playing it cool like Sundance. He works all right, if a bit creakingly, but the problem with Gage lie more in the script. After the night in question, he becomes a very confusing character, going well beyond merely a creep addicted to power with too much money to throw around. Or maybe that’s exactly what he is. He starts to stalk Diana and takes steps to ruin the lives of the Murphys. Yet it’s clear we’re intended to take this as billionaire love, and Diana is “the one” for him. Or at least, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets now on how this will end. It falls apart with the ludicrous ending, which is so contrived you feel a little insulted, like maybe Lyne and screenwriter Amy Holden Jones are smirking at us for even getting that far. The twists are so wrenching they are closer to slapstick.
As a well-appointed production, I may as well note the music of Indecent Proposal too. It’s brightened by a Sade tune at one point, but otherwise it’s as plodding and sawingly sweet and off-key as the whole movie generally. In fact, the picture also got a Razzie nomination for Worst Original Song for Lisa Stansfield’s “(You Love Me) In All the Right Places,” which is as bad as it sounds. And it was written by John Barry, composer of James Bond themes—and later, lots of upscale movie scores (Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa, etc.). All things considered, the Razzie nomination is the right call for the song, which is so bland I’ve got it playing now, watched the movie yesterday, and nothing about it seems familiar.
It's possible someone somewhere will or has considered Indecent Proposal as one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies, maybe a junior league Showgirls of some kind. I feel dutybound to mention that, even though movies like that are not really a thing I’m interested in (please, you can keep your Manos: The Hands of Fate). I see enough bad movies looking for good ones that seeking out bad ones seems more like a kind of Stockholm syndrome to me. Truly, in practically every way, Indecent Proposal is a wretched thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment