Not a Decent Movie
Welcome to the world of the telegraphed drama, that is how watching "A Decent Proposal" made me feel because everything about this TV movie is telegraphed. That is not the only thing wrong with it because dodgy dialogue and dodgy acting are two more contributing factors which add to why "A Decent Proposal" is not a decent movie. But the irony of it is that whilst technically "A Decent Proposal" is poor to the extent you feel a groan or two coming it keeps you watching, probably to see what else will be poor rather than for anything good.
Career woman Tia McLealand (Jessica Tuck - Secretary) discovers that her real mother who gave her up for adoption as a baby has died and makes a promise to herself that when she has children they will be brought up with a mum and dad like she always wanted. Now having met building contactor and avid climber Nick (Spencer Rochfort) it seems that maybe she will get that dream especially when she falls pregnant. But happiness turns to heartbreak when Tia learns that all on the climbing expedition Nick was on are reported dead in an avalanche and she finds herself in the arms of her boss rich businessman John Bleekham (Andrew Airlie - Jack) who can provide the support and lifestyle she wants for her child. That is until one day something happens and Tia suspects things are not as innocent as they seem.
In fairness the actual storyline to "A Decent Proposal" is reasonable it's just that the delivery of it is so poor that any intelligence to it is lost. As such the minute we meet John and learn that he is a man who gets what he wants you know that somehow he is involved in the climbing accident just so that he could remove Nick from the picture and get Tia. And before that when Tia first meets Nick it is so cliche that it borders on the corny as they have these romantic little dates. As such everything about the storyline is telegraphed, well almost everything as there is one surprise but even then it is wasted.
The fact everything is telegraphed is only part of the problem befalling "A Decent Proposal" as the actual script leaves much to be desired. Cornball romantic dialogue and over nefarious business threats make it seriously corny and far too often so much of it leaves you on the verge of groaning.
But the worst thing is the acting which to be honest is at times so bad that it feels like you are watching a pantomime. From a scene being void of emotion when Tia learns of Nick's death to John being all sinister as a business man there is far too much over acting. The irony is that whilst the acting isn't good and the characters are flat both Jessica Tuck and Spencer Rochfort are likeable which is probably why that seeing "A Decent Proposal" is bad you keep on watching, well that and to see what else can go wrong.
What this all boils down to is that "A Decent Proposal" is a poor TV movie which is cliche, corny and poorly acted, which is a shame as whilst not the most original of movies the basic storyline is okay.
