Indecent Proposal (1993)
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A couple's marriage is pushed to the brink when a wealthy stranger offers a life-changing sum of money in exchange for a night with the wife.
The story
David and Diana Murphy are married high school sweethearts living in California. Diana is working as a real estate agent, while David hopes to establish himself as an architect. The couple invests everything they have in David's project, but a recession leaves them in financial distress. In desperate need of funds to save their land from being repossessed, they travel to Las Vegas to gamble. At a casino, Diana catches the eye of high roller John Gage. After a series of lucky and unlucky turns at the tables, Gage offers the couple $1 million to allow him to spend a night with Diana, a proposal that creates a profound dilemma for the couple.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a period of negotiation, Diana convinces David to accept Gage's offer. A legal contract is prepared, and David eventually relents. During a tense moment, David tries to stop them but fails to reach them before they depart. Gage takes Diana to his yacht, where she is offered a chance to void the deal via a coin toss; he wins, and she spends the night with him. Back home, the couple faces the reality of their situation. They eventually separate after a series of conflicts regarding Gage's involvement in their property. Later, a romance develops between Diana and Gage, while David hits rock bottom before rebuilding his life. In the end, David donates the $1 million to charity, and the two lovers find a sense of peace. The film concludes with a revelation that Gage's 'lucky' coin was double-headed, and Diana finds David at the pier where they first proposed, where they share a final moment of reconciliation.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Adrian Lyne
- Writers
- Amy Holden Jones · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robert Redford · John Gage; Demi Moore · Diana Murphy; Woody Harrelson · David Murphy; Seymour Cassel · Mr. Shackleford; Oliver Platt · Jeremy Green; Billy Bob Thornton · Day Tripper; Rip Taylor · Mr. Langford; Billy Connolly · Auction MC
- Genres
- erotic drama; romantic drama
- Themes
- marriage vs. money; materialism vs. spirituality; the cost of success
- Tone and mood
- steamy; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- gambling; romance; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard
- Content notes
- sexist
- Reception
- The film received a mostly negative response from critics for the contrivances and implausibilities of its story, though it was a box office success and sparked significant controversy regarding its portrayal of women.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 34% · scale: percentage · review count: 47
- Production trivia
- The film was originally planned as a vehicle for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.; The film's title was based on a 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard.; The film was the sixth highest-grossing film of 1993.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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