Indecent Proposal (1993)

A married woman agrees to have sex with another man for $1,000,000.

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers:

Jack Engelhard (novel), Amy Holden Jones (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson

6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	John Gage
Demi Moore	...	Diana Murphy
Woody Harrelson	...	David Murphy
Seymour Cassel	...	Mr. Shackleford
Oliver Platt	...	Jeremy
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Day Tripper
Rip Taylor	...	Mr. Langford
Billy Connolly	...	Auction M.C.
Joel Brooks	...	Realtor
Pierre Epstein	...	Van Buren
Danny Zorn	...	Screenwriter
Kevin West	...	Screenwriter
Pamela Holt	...	David's Girlfriend
Tommy Bush	...	David's Father
Mariclare Costello	...	David's Mother

Storyline

A young couple very much in love are married and have started their respective careers, she as a real estate broker, he as an architect. She finds the perfect spot to build his dream house, and they get loans to finance it. When the recession hits, they stand to lose everything they own, so they go to Vegas to have one shot at winning the money they need. After losing at the tables, they are approached by a millionaire who offers them a million dollars for a night with the wife. Though the couple agrees that this is a way out of their financial dilemma, it threatens to destroy their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

love | finance | house | architect | love triangle | 

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Taglines:

A husband. A wife. A millionaire. A proposal

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein unmoralisches Angebot

Filming Locations:

Benihana Village, Las Vegas Hilton Hotel - 3000 S. Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£11,561,939 (UK) (13 August 1993)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Gage's tale of his encounter with an attractive woman on a NYC Subway was taken nearly verbatim from a similar speech in Citizen Kane.

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Goofs

The underwear on the stove.

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Quotes

Jeremy: OK, David, before we go any further, let's get the moral issue out of the way.
David: Leave that to us.
Jeremy: No, I was referring to my fee. I get five percent.

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Connections

Referenced in White Collar: Front Man (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Nighttime"
By Oscar Peterson
Performed by Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock Performs Courtesy of Qwest Records

User Reviews

Repugnant

Indecent Proposal is not the worst film I've ever seen. However, it is my most hated film.

Indecent Proposal could have been a very thought provoking look at the struggle of love, fidelity and morality when money is offered, but in the far from expert hands of Adrian Lyne it's become a biased look at prostitution that's shot like an ice cream commercial.

Adrian Lyne is known for making films that involve some type of male to female dilemma: 9 1/2 weeks, Fatal Attraction et al. But, as in the two mentioned films, he always seems to take the male point of view. Woody Harrelson's character is the central character in this film. After Demi Moore sleeps with Robert Redford who does the film focus on? Him. We see his despair, his pain, not hers. She seems to take to prostitution like a duck to orange sauce. So what is Lyne saying? Is he saying its harder to become a pimp than to become a prostitute? That's the impression I'm getting.

Look at Demi's character before and after her night with Robert Redford. In all the scenes before she seems awkward and certainly not happy. In all the scenes after she seems to glow with confidence and contentment. What is Lyne saying here? Is it that money DOES buy happiness?

Also, the casting is an expert exercise in marketing. The concept of sleeping with Robert Redford for a million dollars is definitely one of the things that drew many women to this film. I think many women would do it for their taxi fair home and no complaints. Demi and Woody are also gorgeous enough to make it work. Imagine if the couple were black, Hispanic or any minority group and the rich man was some slobbish red neck - the film take on a much darker tone altogether.

I can understand why so many women liked this film, but the chauvinistic nature of this film is staring you right in the face. I'd suggest people watch the film again bearing in mind the points that I've made.