By DOUG STRASSLER
Tuesday, March 23, marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of one of my very favorite movies of all time, Pretty Woman. Can it really be two whole decades? That’s crazy! And yet no matter what else I’ve seen in and done in those twenty intervening years, nothing can take away my love for that movie.
It’s a film that worked in spite of itself. Like Casablanca, which they kept rewriting as it went along, director Garry Marshall kept re-working J.F. Lawton’s dark script about a prostitute trapped in the seedy underbelly of L.A. life into the light modern-day Pygmalion it became.
The final premise is simple: Stuffy corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) invites hooker Vivian Ward (if anyone really needs me to say that it’s Julia Roberts here I’m not even sure what you’re doing on this site) to spend a week with him in Los Angeles so he can have a companion for schmoozy business events. Along the way, they fall in love. He offers her a new life, and she gives him a soul, thereby rescuing him right back.
Yes, it’s totally implausible, but that’s okay. It’s a comedy. And yet there are enough tender moments so well played that they ring utterly true and make the Edward-Vivian pair one to root for, from their bug fight after Edward tells his lawyer, Philip Stuckey (Jason Alexander), about Vivian’s profession to Vivian’s confession about her childhood dream of being rescued by a prince. Gere and Roberts are sensational here; there just isn’t a false note. And their chemistry is as good as it gets on screen. For whatever reason, Gere’s most romantic pairings have always been with younger actresses (Diane Lane, Debra Winger), while Roberts has had the most chemistry with older men (Sam Shepard, Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson), and the two were a perfect fit.
The comedy and romance all coalesce when Edward takes Vivian to the San Francisco Opera to see La Traviata. Gere’s (supposedly) improvised closing of the jewelry box holding Vivian’s gift of a necklace. Roberts’ Cheshire cat laugh in response. Edwards’ instructing her that the first time one sees opera will determine whether she loves it or not. His cover up – “She said ‘She liked it better than Pirates of Penzance’†– to Vivian’s less couth answer about how she loved the show, which we already know she has. And the line Vivian tells Edward when they have just set out on their date is cinematic lightning in a bottle: “If I forget to tell you, I had a really good time tonight.†Only someone who truly cares about the small touches could make a movie this nuanced.
And, forgive me, but they don’t make them like they used to. Today’s romantic comedies are cookie-cutter; they go for the groin but never the heart. It’s why a scene like the one mentioned above will always trump Katherine Heigl hanging upside down from a tree and head-butting Eric Winter’s crotch in The Ugly Truth or Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds accidental nude tumble in The Proposal.
Pretty Woman is full of great scenes from start to finish, but I’ll just mention two more. An earlier dinner date scene is a perfect blend of physical comedy and story movement. Roberts is hilarious when Vivian tries to figure out what forks to use at a fancy dinner, and later accidentally hurtles escargot across the restaurant (“Slippery little suckers!â€). But it’s in this same scene that she learns that Edward’s estranged father has died, and unprompted, says “I’m sorry too.†As deft as she is with the film’s comedic lines and slapstick bits, it’s in these moments that Vivian, and Roberts, are most endearing.
And one of the most universally satisfying movie moments is when Vivian returns to the Rodeo Drive boutique that had shunned her just a day earlier after a shopping spree and tells them “Big mistake. Huge.†How great is that? (Side note: on a work trip this week, my airline – it rhymes with Schmelta – forever lost all my luggage. I went to a store with one hour to replace my wardrobe before an important meeting and had everyone in the store waiting on me hand and foot. It feels every bit as good as you’d think.) Everyone should have at least one moment like this to get back at someone who’d done them wrong.
I could go on, but these moments speak for themselves. Gere is at his most charming, but he’s smart enough to know that this is Roberts’ movie. I should also say that the entire cast – Laura San Giacomo, Ralph Bellamy, an outstanding Alexander, and Marshall veteran Hector Elizondo – could not be better. And the soundtrack remains one of my favorites. It may not have made a dent in the culture, like, say, that of Judgment Night or O Brother, Where Art Thou, but anytime I hear Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love†(1990’s #2 single after Wilson Phillips’ “Hold Onâ€) or Go West’s “The King of Wishful Thinking,†it puts a huge smile on my face.
Ultimately, though, Pretty Woman worked because it is as much of a Hollywood fairy tale as it is a fairy tale romance. Marshall bookends the movie with a homeless guy (billed as “Happy Manâ€) shouting “Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don’t; but keep on dreamin’ – this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin’.†(Note: this framing device works better than the paper-thin “I want a stamp on my passport†device used in While You Were Sleeping.)
Edward falls in love with Vivian because Marshall made Pretty Woman as the world was falling in love with Roberts. The actress, catapulted by Steel Magnolias, was literally becoming a star before everyone’s eyes. She might even be the last true movie star; nowadays stardom has been replaced by overexposed celebrity, which is different. A star creates a mystique from afar that draws us to their work as a way of getting more of them; a celebrity assaults our own lives with over sharing. And this film documents a star – nay, a supernova – being born.
Movies don’t get more magical or timeless than this. So, Pretty Woman, happy 20th birthday. Next year I’ll buy you a drink.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Angie // Mar 19, 2010 at 8:43 am
I absolutely and 100% agree. I was seven when this came out and my parents let me watch it, my mom’s philosophy being “She doesn’t know what a prostitute is, it’s fine.” And she’s right, because it’s really a very innocent movie despite the premise. Still one of my top 10 favorite romcoms ever. Have you watched the extended edition? Cute stuff, particularly Vivian asking for ketchup at the fancy schmancy restaurant to smear on her steak.
2 Diane P // Mar 19, 2010 at 9:48 am
I go back and forth on this movie. I can buy into the whole fairy tale/romantic comedy theme, and it can definitely be heart-warming and sweet. But every few scenes I do recall that Vivian is, in fact, a hooker (albeit with a heart of gold) and the movie is perpetuating the idea that “If you’re in the gutter, just find yourself a rich, handsome man to pull you out.” Even if that were the way things work, it is not an easy task! Cynical, I know, and I’m not trying to be all PC. I do like this movie, and when I flip by it on TV, I will leave it on, even if only for a few minutes. I realize if I want a gritty, realistic portrayal of life on the streets, I can always rent Whore.
Side note: the fact that you reference the movie Judgment Night, as well as the soundtrack, just made my day.
3 Tricia // Mar 19, 2010 at 10:28 am
I completely and totally adore this movie. It has always been and will always be one of my favorite movies of all time.
I think one of my favorite scenes is when Vivian, clutching a handful of cash, has a moment with Hector Elizondo’s character about her need to buy a dress. It’s cute and funny. And I love him. And there I love her. And it’s adorable.
Well done article.
4 Shissher // Mar 19, 2010 at 10:46 am
I did love this movie, and watch it when it comes up on Lifetime/USA/FX/TNT. I have to admit, however, that when they come up to the scene where Vivian is shunned by the snooty saleswoman, I always laugh, because I think back to watching “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.” My two favorite lines from that movie:
[ Michele ]
YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH WE’VE WATCHED PRETTY WOMAN, LIKE, 36 TIMES,
I NEVER GET TIRED OF MAKING FUN OF IT.
[ Romy ]
OH, I KNOW.
AW, POOR THING.
LOOK, THEY WON’T LET HER SHOP.
YEAH, LIKE THOSE SALESGIRLS IN BEVERLY HILLS AREN’T BIGGER WHORES
THAN SHE IS.
5 InfoMofo // Mar 19, 2010 at 10:56 am
Ugh, but why did they have to ruin Jason Alexander for me? There are still moments when I’m watching TBS and George Costanza takes off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, and then I suddenly remember how mad I am at him, and I can’t watch anymore.
The same thing will happen when I try to watch Vera Farminga in anything she ever does again.
6 Doug Strassler // Mar 19, 2010 at 10:57 am
What exactly are you mad at Vera for?
7 Doug Strassler // Mar 19, 2010 at 11:27 am
Thanks Tricia — I know exactly the scene with Hector Elizondo and it too, is one of my favorites. It starts when he grabs her out of the elevator and she goes “What! What is with everybody today?” Then in his office, she has the cutest little pout when she goes “They were mean to me.” And she blows her nose out in his handkerchief like it’s the first time she’s ever done it.
That scene is awesome, and both of them rock it.
8 Stacy // Mar 19, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Don’t you just love Prince?
9 InfoMofo // Mar 19, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Doug, I’m, worried to tell you, on the off chance that I’ll be violating your recent rants against movie spoilers…
She know what she done, though.
10 Stacy // Mar 19, 2010 at 3:52 pm
And now for a real comment. This movie is, in my opinion, a classic love story as opposed to a romantic comedy. It lasts for the reasons The Philadelphia Story does – it’s about real people with real lives and not just the silly situations they get in to. No Maid in Manhattan style “I wore an expensive outfit and Ralph Fiennes mistook me for someone else and how am I going to keep up this charade?” romance. Fifty years from now people will still be watching it and smiling and will be really happy when Edward and Vivian save each other. Once TNT finally gives up on Jennifer Lopez and all those crappy rom-coms, no one will think of them again.
And btw, lighting in a bottle is too right. I have lost count the number of times I’ve quoted the line “If I forget to tell you, I had a really good time tonight†in the last twenty years (or how many times Doug and I have said it to each other in the last three months). Classic line, classic movie.
11 Doug Strassler // Mar 20, 2010 at 9:51 am
Diane/Stacy — if possible, I totally agree with both of you, if that’s possible. To Diane’s point, I look at it too seriously — the movie isn’t exactly a primer showing how an LA hooker can strike it rich. (That’s what reality shows on E! are for.) And to Stacy’s point, the reason why the movie works is because beneath both characters’ “careers” and other circumstances. Both Edward and Vivian have put themselves in positions where others cannot get to them emotionally. Like everyone, they have been hurt, lonely and insecure. And by film’s end, they have reclaimed the love they pushed aside. That’s pretty universal. And just because the movie is hilarious doesn’t mean this level of sentimentality doesn’t actually exist. Pretty Woman is a classic because Garry Marshall entwined this combination exceedingly well.
12 meg // Mar 20, 2010 at 9:57 am
“He’s not really my uncle.”
“They never are, dear.”
The reason, I think, this movie works so well is that it’s so sweet. Not cloying, not forced, not cutesy — sweet. With the exception of the bad guys, the characters we meet are all likable, from Bridget to the Morses to Barney…and, of course, the main characters. The movie isn’t full of over-the-top wacky situations designed to wring out laughs — it has faith in its story, its scenes and its characters.
Would I want my hypothetical daughter to go into Vivian’s profession? NO. But I would hope my hypothetical daughter wouldn’t pattern her life after a movie heroine’s. (Well, except maybe Princess Leia’s, but I’d like to avoid the marrying-a-monster part myself, so…)
I just hope no one gets it in their heads to remake PW. What, you think that’s unlikely? Consider this: “Overboard” is being remade. Starring J.Lo. Yep. I fear we’re just a few years away from an attempt at “Pretty Woman” for a new generation…
13 Sam // Mar 20, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I am a child of the 80s (born in ’85), and this is still one of my favorite movies. It has been implied, often, that I should apologize for that but I can’t help it. And “King of Wishful Thinking” is still one of my favorite songs from a movie. I grew up a poor girl so this movie was like the perfect fantasy life for me. (I was too young to know what a hooker is.)
14 Doug Strassler // Mar 22, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Even worse, Meg — that remake would probably star Miley Cyrus.
15 marlon // Mar 29, 2010 at 5:54 pm
oh god, i know. i mean, already, that director of miley’s movie is saying she’s the next julia roberts. it’s like every time people want to say a certain starlet will make it big, they call her the next julia roberts. it’s very nice to hear that people think julia roberts is the standard for modern female movie stars but when would people know that this kind of breakthrough comes only once in a lifetime. from sandra bullock to cameron diaz to miley freakin cyrus, come on, get a freaking clue.
i pretty much agree that pretty woman, while not being a masterpiece of cinema, serves as proof that moviestars do exist, of the it factor. i mean, richard was cute, the story was cute and the music was cute but roberts was dynamite. she could never equal this turn. heck, few people could.
Leave a Comment