Indecent Proposal
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: April 7, 1993 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
6
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
With a shamelessly cliched script by Amy Holden Jones (based on a novel by Jack Engelhard) that includes a speech plagiarized from Citizen Kane, the results are only for those who can take fare like "Valley of the Dolls" with a straight face and want to see Redford play Jay Gatsby again. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is ingenious in the way it surrounds its essentially crass subject matter with a camouflage of romantic scenery. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff(not credited)
Indecent Proposal is as relentlessly entertaining as it is silly--so shamelessly over the top that you watch in a mixture of horror and delight as the drama unfolds toward a climax that is truly mind-boggling. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Mr. Lyne's films may not cast any new light on the human condition, but they do keep you glued to the screen. Read full review
60
EmpirePhilip Thomas
The performances are alright enough but the casting was a bizarre choice and it's just not strong enough to carry the premise. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Once the setup is over, however, Indecent Proposal starts to fall apart, with the implausibilities and contrivances getting worse with every passing minute. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
As sexist propaganda, the film is shameless. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Indecent Proposal starts out kinky and turns into a languid-and shockingly banal- domestic soap opera. Read full review
40
Washington PostRita Kempley
He's obsessed with the physical details instead of the human emotions. The actors are really just part of the scenery. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
Lyne has the stylized talent of a soft-core pornographer; he choreographs his movies like languorous sex scenes. Read full review
40
TimeStaff(not credited)
Because director Adrian Lyne takes all this so slowly and seriously, Indecent Proposal is an inadvertent comedy. As such, it is much funnier than "Honeymoon in Vegas", which tried in vain to be funny about the same idea. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
With some movies, though, it's just the opposite. Like this one. It's a whole lot easier to forget than to forgive. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Redford's Gage is so busy being exquisitely sensitive and polite he neglects to project any energy, and without it the crucial morning-after part of the movie gradually collapses under the weight of its own self-importance. [07 Apr 1993 Pg. F1]
30
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
The movie is hardly in a position to chastise Gage for his empty soul when its own style is one of numbing, desolate slickness. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
This is one of those high-concept pictures with a big windup and weak delivery. Read full review
25
USA TodayMike Clark
There's nothing sleazier than sleaze that fails to titillate, and this drab blight on a hot cast is as sleazy as a preordained hit ever gets. [07 Apr 1993 Pg. 08.D]
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
In Adrian Lyne's latest monstrosity, love takes on money -- and loses. Not necessarily in the story, of course. This is a Hollywood movie. I'm talking between the lines. Read full review
More From This Movie

45 Critic Reviews

8.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL