YMMV / Indecent Proposal

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• Critic-Proof: The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and was nominated for several Razzie awards. Despite this, it was very successful at the box office and made $266 million worldwide.
• Designated Hero: Gage's behavior really comes off as incredibly creepy and sleazy. When Diana turns down his offer to buy her an expensive dress, the dress is promptly delivered to her hotel room—aside from ignoring her refusal, how the hell did he even find out where she was staying in order to send it to her? Then, he asks David about sleeping with Diana, as if her feelings on the matter are unimportant and that she'll be obligated to do whatever her husband decrees. He also pulls a very underhanded stunt to get Diana into bed with him, under the pretense of letting her go—offering to release her from the deal if she wins a coin toss, with a rigged coin that guarantees him victory. He practically stalks her by showing up at both of her jobs, then seems to be seeking vengeance on her by buying the property she and David had their eyes on. After all this, when he finally does have her for himself, he dumps her by claiming that she was just one of many women he pursued like this, which would be an incredibly cruel mind game were it not for Diana being savvy enough to realize what he's trying to do—and we're supposed to feel sorry for him for having to give up the woman he loves. This is all presented in a romantic light, and what's worse, it's coming from the same guy who only a few years earlier, directed Fatal Attraction, where a woman pursuing an uninterested, married man was portrayed as a psycho.
• Harsher in Hindsight: In her memoir, Demi Moore revealed that her mother had set her up in a similar arrangement to the movie... when she was fifteen.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: David compares Gage to a cuckoo, a bird that invades nests and pushes other eggs out. 22 years later, the same analogy would be used in Spectre.
• Memetic Mutation: At the time of the film's release, the question, "If somebody offered you a million dollars for one night with your spouse, would you accept?" became a popular conversation starter. Additionally, the film has been parodied by comedy shows such as Mad About You (in which the same situation is presented, but lead characters Paul and Jamie immediately agree and praise their good fortune), The Simpsons and Mike Tyson Mysteries.
• Values Dissonance: In Real Life, Gage's behavior would have gotten him slapped with a restraining order and/or stalking charge, yet is presented as thoroughly sexy and romantic.
• Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: Diana decidedly ends her marriage with David to enter a relationship with Gage, and after a Time Skip, David is shown to have put his life back together, making it abundantly clear that the experience was a teaching moment for him and that he doesn't need to rely on her to be successful... except he decides to win her back by donating the $1 million Gage gave him to charity (and Gage himself invoking Break Her Heart to Save Her in order to "free" her from his control). The film ends with both leads left in the exact same situation they were in early on in the film, leaving audiences to wonder why David would functionally sabotage himself to get back with someone who already made the choice to leave him once before.

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