hanny-c 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..

rrl-1 I ran across this film whilst flipping channels one rainy afternoon and found the storyline to be surprisingly engaging. I was glued to the couch waiting to see how it would play out and how such flawed characters could find redemption. I felt the casting was good and Madeline Stowe's character in particular was easy to relate to. As for William Hurt, such a somber and sympathetic character could be compared to the likes of Heathcliffe...so full of longing and unfulfilled dreams. While I am not always fond of movies that have a narrator, I felt that Kenneth Branaugh's voice and character added weight to the tale and only increased my interest in the movie as more was exposed about his involvement in the lives of the "Barrett family". The storyline contained plenty of interesting twists and turns, and was not altogether predictable (as many movies are today). Definitely worthwhile and a lovely depiction of love, charity and forgiveness.

stuhh2001 How can you hate a movie that has Kenneth Branagh, as a Catholic priest, who has given in to the weakness of the flesh, saying, "I began to know God thru Elenore...it was she who taught me about faith." Or Kenneth Branagh saying to William Hurt, "You know you needen't feel guilty about this, THE SUN SHINES HERE TOO."(italics, mine) All kidding aside, the cast could have sleepwalked thru this somewhat cliched drama of a wealthy, staid older millionaire, resorting to having a jerk impegnate his beautiful young wife to keep the family line going, having the jerk end up dead, and the beautiful wife meets a charming local priest,,,and then...you know ..and so forth. Get the idea? But what saves the movie, are the acting "chops" of this steller cast: Branagh, William Hurt, the beauteous Madeline Stowe, and Blythe Danner. You can see they're not taking this film lightly. Branagh gets better with every film. He will surely inherit Olivier's mantle very soon. William Hurt definitely has acting greatness in him. His career seems to be on hold. He should be doing big, serious films. Madeline Stowe's beauty is so far above the average anorexic, thong, Barbie Doll, MTV sexpot, as to make them the jokes they have become. She doesn't weigh 27 lbs., AND she can really act. Where is her presence in major filmaking? Blythe Danner works steadily on Broadway and surely deserves an award for a lifetime of top level acting, on the stage, and in the movie house. All in all I enjoyed this film and recommend it to fans of the above great performers. If you like movies based on Dad's boss making him take in the boss's chimp for the weekend, just when the hated insufferable in-laws are coming for a barbeque, and the kids decide to dress up the chimp as Ben Laden, and the fox terrier next door tries to mate with the chimp and start a REAL family, even if the local DA says chimp /terrier unions are heretical to the basic man/women setup, and... and. If you like that kind of movie, "The Proposition" is not for you.

Bobnessuk You know there must be a problem when a recent film appears on TV with a cast that includes William Hurt, Kenneth Branagh, Madeleine Stowe, Robert Loggia and Blythe Danner and you've never heard of it. I guess my suspicions were aroused when the TV Channel shoved it out at 3 o'clock in the morning, but I really didn't think it could be that bad.I was wrong. One of the previous comments summed this film up far better than I could but I would still like someone to tell me who the hell is Blythe Danner supposed to be? The mother, sister, best friend,'Mrs Danvers', I still haven't got a clue. I'm certainly not going to watch it again just to find out..However, by far the saddest thing about this movie is watching talent like Blythe Danner, Madeleine Stowe and William Hurt being wasted in rubbish like this (I didn't miss out Mr Branagh by accident , incidentally). Come on Hollywood, give them something decent to get their teeth into!