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The Proposition

1998, Movie, R, 111 mins

The Proposition: Review

PROPOSITION, THE
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A ludicrous, outrageously overwrought period soap opera whose preposterous plot twists are so incompetently realized that murder, adultery, bitter fraternal rivalry, violation of religious vows (oh, which vow do you think?) and amour fou seem just as dull as dull can be. Arthur and Eleanor Barret (William Hurt and Madeleine Stowe) are the cream of Boston Catholic society. He's wealthy; she's a disciple of Virginia Woolfe and author of a series of literary novels championing women's rights. Eleanor wants desperately to bear her husband's child, but because he's sterile they hire a hunky youngster (Neil Patrick Harris) to act in loco paternis. Taking the loco part rather too seriously, he becomes deranged by his unrequited love for the beautiful Eleanor, who also bewitches a rebellious priest, Father McKinnon (Kenneth Branagh). McKinnon turns out to be the son of her husband's estranged brother, a Nazi sympathizer who years earlier seduced away Arthur's then-fiancee. Everyone's threatening to expose Eleanor and Arthur's ridiculous baby-making scheme, murder enters the picture, we're not even through the first hour and the temptation to start trying to figure out how long before it's over is irresistable. Apparently conceived in the grand tradition of preposterous, class-inflected Hollywood tearjerkers about the self-centered hijinks of the very rich -- think LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN or the original STELLA DALLAS -- this ridiculous potboiler is so barren that there's no chance anyone will be too busy wallowing in the emotional swamp to forget how patently ridiculous it all is. On the very limited plus side, William Hurt delivers a nuanced and altogether out of place performance as Arthur, and it's nice to see Blythe Danner having such a good time with the Mrs. Danvers-like role of Syril, keeper of the Barret family secrets. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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