| The
Review: |
Indecent Proposal" belongs to a
special class of truly frustrating films: those that begin
with so much promise, and continue to keep us intrigued, and
then, for no reason whatsoever, everything just flatlines.
There is a good lesson at work in the film, that money cannot
buy happiness or love, but the actions of its characters at
a crucial moment well into the film's running time betrays
this, and from there on, it's a lost cause. ***
It stars Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson
as Diana and David Murphy, married as teenagers and living
a life of middle-class proportions. Diana is a real-estate
agent who brings in most of the income, while David, who works
as an architect, spends much of his time realizing on paper
his dream home for the two of them. Their plans of a luxurious
waterfront home are threatened, however, by a recession, leaving
David out of work, and their home loan in danger of being
revoked. ***
In hopes of scoring some fast cash
to pay off their $50,000 loan, they head to Las Vegas. They
win some, they lose some; in the end, they come out with nothing
more than what they arrived with. Until John Gage walks into
their lives. Played by Robert Redford, Gage is a hot-shot
billionaire who, with the help of Diana as his good luck charm,
wins one million dollars in a single game of craps. Later,
he becomes intrigued by Diana's statement that she cannot
be bought; he, in turn, offers the couple one million dollars
for one night with her. ***
After said night is over, the movie
gets into its better stages. Their initial agreement that
they not discuss what happened, that it was just sex without
feeling or emotional involvement, soon becomes breached when
jealousy begins to plague David to no avail. He questions
Diana about her whereabouts; even when she attempts to buy
their land back, he accuses her of infidelity behind his back,
and walks out on her. ***
Up to this point, the movie has
achieved more than it ever deserved. The situation itself
isn't as involving as the dialogue, which rings true with
every exchange between Diana and David, and Diana and John.
The scenes between husband and wife are especially intricate
in its display of their once-happy marraige coming down around
them without hope for the future. Harrelson and Moore bring
out such hard-hitting scenes with terrific performances full
of convincing emotional resonance, while Redford puts all
his charm into a character we just love to despise. ***
And then things change. The movie
takes a turn into uncharted territory, abandoning its once-fruitful
ideas for a change-of-heart treacle subplot that reverses
our opinions about these three central characters. And it's
not for the best, either: given that we have almost no chance
of getting to know John as a person, we cannot hope to feel
much for him when he delivers a speech about a past moment
that ties in with his present obsession with Diana, who, in
turn, falls for it. We've spent so much of the film seeing
John in a negative light, while sticking with Diana in her
struggle to prove to David that she is faithful, that the
third act registers as a striking disappointment. ***
I wanted something more. I wanted
to see more of the married couple's struggle to come to terms
with what they had gotten themselves into, without the inclusion
of this story line, which is meant to evoke a sense of reawakening
and realization as the movie draws to a close. What we are
supplied with isn't nearly as good as what could have been,
had the filmmakers been reasonable enough to keep the story
out of soap opera territory. ***
I give the film its performances
and its first and second acts, but "Indecent Proposal" teases
us with the notion that there is something grand at the end
of its weary road, only to fail in its delivery of such a
promise. There is so much at work in the material that is
good (i.e. the character development, relationship understandings
and tribulations), that it's actually quite sad to see it
go to waste as it becomes wrapped in absurdity and melodrama.
**
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