---
title: "Indecent Proposal: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/indecent-proposal/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/indecent-proposal"
critics_score: 41
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Indecent Proposal (1993): what the critics said

Critics' score 41 from 8 reviews: 2 positive, 2 mixed, 4 negative.

Most critics are not persuaded. The reviews agree the seven-figure offer at the film’s centre is a strong hook, and most think it is wasted. Where praise lands, it lands on the leads: several reviews find Robert Redford the main reason to keep watching, while Variety instead credits Demi Moore with the only emotional truth on screen. John Barry’s score also earns a mention.

The spread is wide. The harsher notices outnumber the kind ones two to one and find the drama solemn where it should be sharp, with an ending more than one critic calls absurd. The New Yorker objects to the film’s awed treatment of wealth, the classroom scene with the Rolls-Royce in particular. The Los Angeles Times breaks ranks on Redford, finding him listless. The two positive reviews take the premise as a talking point rather than a failing: Radio Times reads the film as a portrait of early-1990s emptiness, and Eye for Film finds it engaging and romantic.

## Radio Times — Joanna Berry

Rating 4/5. 

Berry finds the film’s moral premise gives way to selfishness, making it a commentary on early-1990s excess and emptiness. She nevertheless says its lead performances make it worth watching.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ysih65/indecent-proposal/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 1993. 

The page content is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is available from the accessible text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/07/movies/review-film-indecent-proposal-who-d-have-be-paid-1-million-spend-night-with.html)

## Empire — Phil Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 58/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2006. 

The critic finds the film entertaining and sometimes compelling, but says its tension and quality falter by the end. He singles out Robert Redford’s performance and the mid-film emotional power struggles for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/indecent-proposal-review/)

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 1993. 

McCarthy finds the film a high-concept story with weak delivery and an especially absurd ending. He praises Demi Moore’s lively, heartfelt performance as the film’s main source of emotional credibility.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/indecent-proposal-2-1200432059/)

## Time Out — TJ

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic dismisses the film despite its promising premise. The review singles out the seven-figure offer as a great hook, but calls the movie poor.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/indecent-proposal)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 1993. 

Turan finds the film laughably implausible and says its earnest moral drama invites laughter instead of sympathy. He particularly criticizes Robert Redford’s low-energy performance and the filmmakers’ failure to make the wager’s consequences convincing.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-07-ca-19978-story.html)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 18 April 1993. 

Lane dismisses the film as vain, sluggish, and joyless, arguing that it turns a potentially comic premise into solemn trash. He especially condemns its worshipful portrayal of wealth, singling out the classroom scene where students admire Gage and his Rolls-Royce.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/04/26/paying-the-price)

## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2009. 

Carty finds the film engaging and romantic, with its provocative premise inviting debate. He especially praises Robert Redford’s magnetic performance and John Barry’s stirring score.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/indecent-proposal-film-review-by-stephen-carty)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/indecent-proposal.md