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INDECENT PROPOSAL
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson,
Oliver Platt, Seymour Cassel
Director: Adrian Lyne
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, French Stereo
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Paramount
Features: Director’s Commentary
Length: 116 Minutes
Release Date: April 16, 2002
“Some
things aren’t for sale.”
“Such as?”
“Well, you can’t buy people.”
“That’s naïve, Diana. I buy people everyday.”
“Well in business, maybe, but not when real emotions are involved.”
“So what are you saying, you can’t buy love? That’s a bit of a cliché,
don’t you think?”
“It’s absolutely true.”
Film
**1/2
Director
Adrian Lyne made a name for himself with a number of adult-themed movies which
touched issues most movies wouldn’t even think of going near. He explored
non-subtle erotic taboos in 9 ½ Weeks,
and tapped into the fears of all unfaithful individuals with his hugely popular
thriller Fatal Attraction. His next
film was one with something of an intriguing scenario, even though it would
sound completely ludicrous to any couple who felt truly in love. Whether you
consider it a purely believable plotline or not, the idea of a wealthy man
offering a financially struggling couple an easy million dollars in exchange for
one night with the woman sold itself to audiences, as Indecent Proposal went on to become one of the most successful and
talked about movies of 1993. The film itself has a strong opening half, and good
enough middle, but the movie’s final hour is as slow as can be, as the movie
doesn’t seem to know how to conclude itself.
The
film opens with lovers Diana and David, played very convincingly by Demi Moore
and Woody Harrelson. They meet in college, and once graduated they get married.
Living out of an apartment, David makes his living as an architect, while Diana
sells real estate. Soon enough, a recession puts the two in a bad financial
hole, as they are both out of their jobs, as well as $50,000 in debt. Desperate
and having no other option, David decides on a spontaneous quick trip to Vegas.
Their
first night in Sin City is a shocking one, as David garners a winning streak,
bringing in even more than enough money to get him and Diana out of hock. The
next night isn’t so successful, as David grows more desperate to win even more
money, and ends up losing everything at the roulette table. While in this slum
of an aftermath, only one thing is the answer to their financial prayers,
billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford). After asking to borrow Diana from her
husband simply as a luck charm at the poker table, Gage provides the two with a
room of their own. The following night after a private dinner, Gage proposes the
indecent proposal to the two, one night of passion with Diana for an easy, cool
million. After much debating about whether to consider Gage’s proposal, and
going through the process of signing a specific contract put together by their
lawyer (Oliver Platt), the struggling couple agrees to the deal.
The
slight weakness of Indecent Proposal starts to occur following the one
night stand with Gage. What follows are endless scenes of the central characters
fighting at one another for placing each other in the situation they currently
find themselves in. These scenes, including a tense moment of anger between
David and Diana, are indeed well performed, but the film takes what feels like
eternity to come to any kind of conclusion. The story seems to be battling
itself as to whether it wants to end in a nice way or in a depressing way before
finally choosing one of the two at the last minute.
Indecent
Proposal
starts out very well, but is flawed solely in its last half, which feels more
like a drawn out, inconclusive soap opera. The performances are the one thing
keeping it from being an extremely flawed movie.
Paramount
once again displays their genius at making a release from the early 90s look
good. The video presentation for Indecent Proposal is very clear and very
sharp. The scenes in and around Vegas are the most engaging, with colors and
camera angles coming through especially impressive. There is a couple of
instances of image softness, but very brief. An all-around glorious looking
disc.
For
a movie that is mostly dialogue-oriented, Indecent Proposal has been
given a most decent audio vibe. The 5.1 audio track does a most
impressive job of picking up distinctive sounds here and there, and also
enhancing the luscious score by composer John Barry. There is hardly a single
flaw in the audio, but then again, this is simply a dialogue-oriented pic.
Included
is a commentary track by director Adrian Lyne.
Summary: