The Proposition

I feel like a freak because I just watched this film and thought it was wonderful. Is it possible that a female director's view of things is unacceptable or misunderstood because it is so very rare for a woman to direct a mainstream movie? I'm asking this because I thought the movie "Michael" directed by Nora Ephron was also wonderful and the people around me thought it was full of clichés, the same comment at least one critic made of "The Proposition". Anyway for me "The Proposition" is a spiritual (not religious) film about marital love, parental love, of life being a composition of gray areas instead of a black and white, right and wrong deal. The acting was superb, the story thoroughly human,i.e., convoluted, winding, illogical, full of distress remorse and anger, but mostly about the beautiful, ugly or neutral ways we humans love. This is one of those rare movies I'll watch at least once a year, clichés or not.

Oddly enough, I really fell for William Hurt and Madeleine Stowe in this film. Wanting so much for his wife to have a child, but sterile himself, Hurt's character Arthur Barret arranges for a young Ivy League student (played by Neil Patrick Harris) to sleep with his wife as long as it takes to impregnate her. This is where the story begins. The story made me laugh and cry. I have rented this one so many times I ought to just buy it! On my personal top-10 of all time movie list.

I found this movie to be very powerful, with strong performances from most of the cast. Kenneth Branagh is superb as Father McKinnon. The movie is greatly enhanced by a recurring folk tune, resembling the Braveheart theme, and I noted that in the credits they included the names of the Flute, Oboe and cor Player, thereby acknowledging their importance. The movie is poignant throughout, and the scenes are beautiful. I try to watch it as often as possible.

The script of Rick Ramage has so many turns and twists that the story looks like a mixture of real life and a religious novel. This gives the movie a certain quality. At the other hand one is surprised by some human reactions f.i. the reaction of William Hurt (Arthur Barett) at the end. The end is so strange. The actor Kenneth Branagh (father Michael McKinnon) gives a more value to the movie. I think that one must be a catholic to really understand the complexities of the movie involving the problem of couples not having children and the significance of marriage and above all the importance of purity for priests.

This movie is visually stunning and very well acted by the WHOLE cast. I think it is better seen at home where you can go back and watch portions over again, because in some scenes you must hear every word and pay attention to body language and expression quite closely or the plot can easily lose you. Bad acting or directing would have made this movie impossible to understand, because the writing is extremely subtle. I think the directing and acting is amazing because of what it conveys without language. (Some of the negative reviews were written by people who did not pay attention to key things are explained in few or no words, once, and once only, or to things that were shown only through non-verbal language. You must look and listen the whole time.) It does have the tragic-amazingly-coincidental stuff going on, but so what? It is entertainment, for goodness sakes, not a documentary! Apparently someone who was involved in making it is embarrassed, because it is impossible to get it on DVD in American format, which is a real shame. I love this movie, and am very sad not to be able to watch it since my VHS player broke. It always absorbs me and lets me forget about my own life for a few hours. I like to watch it once or twice a year, and enjoy sharing it with friends who have not seen it. It has been enjoyed by many people I know, but some did say that my pointing out key scenes was necessary for them to follow the plot. A few friends really did not like it, but none of those particular friends like tragic drama in general. I will continue to look for it on DVD every several months, and I will be looking to fix or replace my VHS player just so I can watch this and one other movie that I also love and can't get on DVD.

This is a movie that seems to have been adapted from an Andrew Greeley semi erotic novel instead of having been written for the screen by Rick Ramage. As directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, "The Proposition" is a film that deserves to be forgotten, at best. If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here. The premise of the film seems to be that privilege doesn't buy happiness, which is the theme of many a melodrama. We meet the happily married Barrets, a wealthy, but childless couple from Boston in the early part of the last century. Arthur is wealthy; he provides Eleanor, his wife, with all the things she desires, except the child, he is unable to give her. Enter young Roger Martin. He is asked to be the surrogate person that will give Eleanor her child. Roger and Eleanor have to meet twice in order to get her in the family way, but alas, whatever comes so easy, ends up in tragedy, as dictated by the soap opera lexicon. Never fear, as devout Catholics, the Barrets are introduced to the newly arrived Father McKinnon, a young, handsome priest. We find out this young prelate is in reality Arthur's nephew! It's surprising that at this point no amnesia is introduced to any one of the characters. Well, Eleanor and Father Michael find they have a lot in common including a passion that consume and will destroy them! Their love produce twins that are seen at the end of the film going with their great uncle to the altar as he is going to receive communion from the real father of the boys. One wonders what is Kenneth Branagh doing in this thing? One of the best English actors of his generation hasn't had much luck with his American film ventures and one would like to suggest to him to be careful in future roles like this Father McKinnon. This is a film that will be cherished by lovers of soap opera and hated by others that might stumble into this movie thinking it's better, based on the names of the people involved in it. Watch it at your own risk.

I like Kenneth Brannagh, as long as he stays in his hilariously made Shakespearean adaptations. But it should be discussed why such a brilliant Shakespeare actor cannot be more than what the script suggests... is it his discomfort acting in somebody else's film, or his uneasiness of the director being "Shakespeare's Sister"? Well, "The Proposition" has indeed many weak spots, being a period flick, but primarily it doesn't have a goal. It seems really hard to concentrate on anything while thinking of the object of all the efforts of the characters. Though I believe that especially Arthur (the unmistakable William Hurt) was a well-developed character, even he doesn't fit in the storms stirring dark waters of his family. Madeline Stowe proves herself to be a much mature actress than she used to be; age sure does help. All in all, turn down the proposition and rent it on video.

This bomb combines to worst elements of an Andrew Greeley potboiler with performances that should for ever embarrass the actors involved in this poorly written nonsense. The direction is amateurish; sluggish pacing, muddy photography, glaring errors of the period, and no real understanding of the Roman Catholic church of that time. The voice over narration by Brannagh is sleep inducing and his on screen performance is little better. William Hurt is William Hurt, never really giving the character a hint of life. Blythe Danner is wasted. This film is a dog. Don't bother.

horrible, horrible, horrible movie... so boring, so SLOW moving, makes you go crazy watching it... oh, it was so bad.. I doubt that there is anyone who enjoyed this movie. My mom was watching it so i had to watch as well and at the end of the movie i couldn't help but blurt out how horrible it actually was...wow this has to be on the ten top worst movies of that year...trust me don't bother wasting your time or money to see this movie because i promise you will regret it...oh jeez was it h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e... On a scale from 1 to 10 its a 1...and it doesn't even really deserve that. Two thumbs down...way down. OK i need ten lines to write but this was so bad there's nothing more to say than how bad it actually was...worst movie no doubt..

Though there may have been some inconsistencies to real life, I enjoyed the movie and so did my friends and acquaintances...I was taken by the snowball effect...though some scenes could have been done differently...I accept it for exactly what it is...movie drama, not real life...some scenes were predictable and some I never saw coming...I was impressed with the job interview...the job...and then the transition from BOY to MANHHOOD and then the snowball effect that changes the lives of all persons involved including the priest...for me personally...the movie was well done...I am sure it could have been better but so could every movie once it has been seen and critiqued...GOOD JOB!