Did the makers of "The Proposition" set themselves the challenge of coming up with the record number of outrageous plot developments in a single movie? Because they just may have succeeded.Opinion about this movie falls into one of three groups. First are those that think it is a compelling, stylish drama with a fantastic cast – they love it. Second are those who believe it is an overheated piece of rubbish, and a huge waste of talent – they hate it. The third group feels that although it has a great cast and is well acted, it has a deeply flawed story. I go with the third group to a point, although I must admit, despite the craziness of the story, it kept me going until the end. The story is told in flashback by Kenneth Branagh's character Father Michael McKinnon. He tells how he arrived from England in the mid 1930's to a posting as a new priest in Boston's most affluent Catholic parish. He wants to concentrate on helping the poor, but also wants to avoid the Barrets, the richest and most influential family in the parish.Eleanor Barret, played by Madeleine Stowe, and her husband, the powerful Arthur Barret, played by William Hurt, are unable to have children due to Arthur's infertility. Eleanor is desperate to have a child, so Arthur arranges for a surrogate to perform the necessary service for Eleanor. Roger Martin a young law graduate played by Neil Patrick Harris is offered $25,000 to impregnate Eleanor. Although he is inexperienced, an added inducement is that Mrs. Barret is extremely hot. Eleanor falls pregnant, but young Roger finds that he enjoyed the work so much that he would like to continue working for free – he begins to make a pest of himself, and threatens to expose the deal, all of which leads to unexpected developments.While this unfolds, Father McKinnon, no longer able to avoid the Barret's dinner invitations, announces that he is in fact Arthur Barret's nephew. Many other revelations follow in a story that encompasses 16 years.Without spoiling the ending too much, one of the least expected developments occurs when Father McKinnon compromises his priestly vows with an affair with Eleanor. The sight of Father McKinnon in full clerical garb pashing Aunt Eleanor is far removed from Hollywood's classic depictions of priests in films such as "Going My Way" and "The Miracle of the Bells". Although not Catholic, I can't help feeling uncomfortable with the way filmmakers treat the church these days. Although many faiths have had to deal with big sexual abuse problems, I still feel an on screen affair between a priest and a married woman will offend a lot of people. Showing irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable by others is the essence of blasphemy, while picking targets that don't fight back is the essence of bullying.Too be honest, this aspect of the plot almost totally eclipses what was already an intriguing plot development involving Neil Patrick Harris's character – it's all just too much.At about the midpoint, you know you can't take this movie seriously. If at the end, it had claimed to be based on fact, I would have fallen out of my chair. But it doesn't, so it's safe enough to just lean back and take the ride, erratic and jarring as it is.

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.

It is a well scripted movie. It holds your attention. It has a well laid out storyline and an excellent cast of polished actors. The characters are developed but not too deeply, keeping them all in a equilibrium. You can sympathize or identify with any or all of them. Predictability is not an issue. Some surprising twists and just the right amount of irony. Very believable and emotionally satisfying. The cinematography and original score make the movie complete. No down side to this flick and no violence, save one well deserved sock in the puss. You don't need to be Catholic or have an historical knowledge of post WWII morality. Just sit back and enjoy.

It's one of those movies that I happened to catch one night as I was flipping channels, and was intrigued from the moment I saw it. Kenneth Branaugh is a wonderful actor as are all the other characters. I forget their names, but I loved them all. Oh yes, William Hurt and Blythe Danner. As a Christian, once I got past the premise (hiring another man to impregnate his wife, and the subsequent affair that follows) I found this movie to be captivating. I actually found myself LOOKING for it on TV. It's worth finding and watching. If you're looking for something to watch some late night or some afternoon while the kids are in school, I recommend this movie. It moves along very fast and is never boring. Even guys might like this movie, as it has sex and murder in it, and a mild fight scene.