In the last few weeks, I’ve been watching movies from the late 80s to the early 90s (not that that’s uncommon of me). I always like to see the differences between today’s cinematography and those from back then. I also love seeing 80’s and 90’s fashion, technology, people’s mannerisms, and especially their music.

Premature judgments

I recently watched the movie ‘Indecent Proposal’ (1993) starring Demi Moore and Woody Haroldson, and I had a few thoughts. The funny thing is that it was my second time seeing the movie, but now I had other views of the world. And yes, I posted on my stories on Instagram that I would impulsively write a rant about this particular movie, but no. I just impulsively posted my reaction to the first half of the film. After watching it, I was still, well, I can’t quite describe what I was feeling. I wasn’t that upset or grossed out anymore. I wasn’t feeling like a complete idiot for prematurely speaking my mind eighter. Here are my thoughts after actually finishing watching the movie, but first, I will take you back, like I usually do, just for some context. 

Home alone on Christmas Valentine’s Day

I remember Valentine’s Day of 2009, clear as day. It was on a Saturday. As usual, I had the TV in the living room on as white noise (it helped me focus while I cleaned). On Saturdays, I usually cleaned the house, did the laundry and the dishes, and swept and mopped. After I started working on Saturdays, the cleaning mainly happened on Sundays. That particular Saturday, I stayed home and didn’t go to work. If I remember correctly, I started feeling ill a few days before, so I stayed home to do chores instead (how exciting).

I watched whatever was on TV. We didn’t have a choice. Netflix was a thing back then, but most people didn’t have it. If they did, it was probably because they were rich or something. It wasn’t as accessible as it is now. Present day, most people have some sort of subscription that feeds off every last ounce of our aspirations. That sounds diabolical, and I know I’m totally projecting. I recognize that subscription-based streaming services are indulgences that keep us sane and alive. A less “harmful” form of coping mechanism that helps us self-soothe after a long stressful day or event. But let’s go back to that romantic Valentine’s Day in 2009. I was home alone and had no idea where my brother and sister were. I don’t remember babysitting them on that day. I left the TV on Cinecanal (Channel 21 or 22).

A hopeless romantic?

The movie ‘Indecent Proposal’ was about to start. This will come as a shocker because I proudly declared a couple of times in this blog that I consider myself a romantic person, but I never liked romantic movies (as a child). However, I started giving them a chance during my young adult days. I was selective about the romantic movies that I watched. If they had a comedic tone, I would go for them (sorry to confuse you there with contradictory explanations, but 10-year-old Jammita started to eye-roll me because she remembers liking a few romantic movies with a passion). Adam Sandler will always be my TV husband. ‘The Wedding Singer’ is my favorite romantic comedy.

The plot

Diana and David are a happy married couple. Like any other couple, they had their struggles and disagreements. But things started worsening when the number one cause of divorces knocked on their door (yes, it’s money), and desperate times called for desperate measures. And with measures, I mean going to a VIP Casino in Las Vegas to plumple what’s last of their savings. On their first night, they did pretty well (keep in mind that I don’t know much about casinos; they seemed happy and were having sex in loads of cash on the bed).

The first gaze

The same night, Diana accidentally met a millionaire. She caught his eyes immediately. Diana was doing some window shopping while waiting for her husband. She tried this gorgeous black dress on her body (but could never afford it). The millionaire offers to buy it for her (he was creepily checking her out from a distance). Diana reminded her that the dress was on sale, but not her.
Their luck and euphoric moments were gone the second time they went back to gambling. They lost everything that they had won so far. They were shattered, desperate, and vulnerable. The millionaire saw them and asked the husband to borrow his wife for luck. They agreed. Diana sat beside him and saw how he gambled with luck as if money was nothing to him. After the gambling (and, of course, he got a little richer), he offered them a room at the hotel. They hesitated at first but then agreed.

No ordinary love

Next, the millionaire proposes 1 million dollars to the husband for one night with Diana. At first, the husband laughs at the millionaire’s offer. Diana reassures him that her husband will never agree to such a thing. The next day, they end up agreeing with the millionaire’s offer (because it’s just sex). With the help of the husband’s friend, who is a lawyer, they signed all the paperwork. Diana stayed in the room with the millionaire while she saw her husband head out. The millionaire transports her on a helicopter to a yacht (where they make love off-camera). As expected, this event strains Diana’s relationship with her husband. They end up separating (for some time). Love wins in the end, and they end up together. 

My thoughts the first time I watched it

“This movie looked old” was one of my first thoughts. I knew Demi from the movie Ghost (1990) and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003). She’s had a fantastic and fruitful career, and she’s still going, too (I totally recommend The Substance (2024) (if you have the stomach for horror)). Demi was distractingly beautiful in ‘Indecent Proposal.’ 15 years after watching the movie for the first time, my thoughts remain the same: Demi is a goddess. Her outfits in the film complemented her whole look and vibe. I can’t remember my exact thoughts the first time this movie. I remember feeling “icky” as I watched further, but I couldn’t explain why. 15 years later, I can finally explain why, but after watching the entire movie, I reminded myself that, as much as I wanted to, life is not always black and white. 

So, what are Jammita’s 2024 thoughts on the movie ‘Indecent Proposal’?

Last week, I learned that ‘Indecent Proposal’ isn’t just a movie. It’s a movie based on a 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard. The film has some gaps here and there, like an incomplete puzzle. I especially felt that at the part where the husband magically appeared during an auction, his, then still wife and her new millionaire man were attending. A very cringeworthy scene. 

The whole thing, I see it as a transaction, and some might see it as business, but there is a label now for such a process. It’s called grooming. Why, you ask? The fact that the millionaire used their vulnerability and gave them an offer that they just couldn’t refuse. First, he gets acquainted with both of them, befriends them, gives lavish gifts, earns their trust, and uses his power to get what he wants; her.
There was a point where they (the men) talked about Diana as if she was a kettle, as if she wasn’t in the room, as if she was a product. Even the lawyer friend tells the husband that he could have gotten 2 million for “a woman like Diana,” whatever that means. He continued further by saying that he couldn’t get that much for his girlfriend.

Clearly objectified

Another clear example of the objectification of Diana is when the millionaire asks her who made the decision. He continued by telling Diana that her husband didn’t stop her (and left her) and wouldn’t share her with anybody if she were his. Again, this reduces Diana as a ‘thing’ that belongs to someone, in this case, a man. He even says he bought her because Diana said she couldn’t be purchased.

The good husband

The husband isn’t better either. The scene where he basically forced Diana to talk about the night she spent with the millionaire. He pressured Diana to admit that she indeed liked the sex and that it was good. In this scene, the husband gets aggressive with his tone, even through a bottle of wine on the wall. Diana cried as he walked off. This is categorized as abuse and intimidation, peeps, and it doesn’t belong in a safe and healthy relationship. Besides, the husband came off as jealous and didn’t give Diana trust (going to agree with the millionaire here that it was he who let her go; yes, he regretted it afterward, but he let her go, and it’s not that they made the decision impulsively).
In the end, the millionaire lets Diana go because he thinks that Diana would have never loved her the same way that she did her husband. I must admit that there were a few times when the millionaire showed signs of sensibility, like helping the husband when he fell, giving the couple space to talk, and eventually inventing a foolish lie to break things off.

Have I ever told you that I love you?

Is this movie romantic? This seems like an easy question, but it has such a complex answer. My thoughts of love (and lust) have changed drastically over the years. However, I won’t highlight them right now (the article is long as is). 17-year-old Jammita did not have the abstract thinking abilities that Piaget talks about so much that 33-year-old Jammita has. Watching the movie now, I was watching the movie through a completely different lens, meaning I know why they did. Would I do it? Maybe. If my situation was financially tight, yes. Is it prostitution? Well, only if you look at the technical sense of the whole proposal.

Even after the premiere, it received controversial reviews (mostly from feminists) saying that the movie promotes prostitution and objectification of women (20 years later, we are still dealing with these issues). Despite the critiques, the movie was a box office success, earning seven times more than its original budget. This movie touches on values and belief systems, and it’s fascinating to talk to others about it, just to get to know them on a deeper level. The holidays are coming up, so there you go. What a way to break the ice during Christmas cheers!