WARNING--ADULT LANGUAGE. However, considering NO CHILD SHOULD SEE THIS FILM, the use of the "V-word" should be excused.
Okay, I am about to insult millions of people AND this review will probably never be read by anyone because there are already 1249983882348378 reviews for this movie. But, because I HATE this movie so much and find it so offensive and damaging to our culture, here goes nothing! This movie is a totally brainless piece of excrement that the American public ate up and proclaimed it to be a "feel good romance". Hmmmm,...when I think "romance", I usually do NOT think about prostitutes. What I DO think of when I think of prostitutes are STDs, body lice, crack pipes, early death and ladies whose nether-regions (a polite way of saying "vaginas") are so polluted and skanky that the word "romance" hardly seems appropriate!!!. Whoever thought of this mess and created this film should be ashamed of themselves, but at least they got rich--and I assume that is the ONLY reason this sleazy film was made.
As a school teacher and parent, I am horrified that Disney or any other studio would make such patently disgusting garbage and pass it off as a "modern fairy tale". A wretched, sick and twisted view of romance that should be avoided, lest it pollute your mind and make you believe in this bilge!!!
I would have LOVED this film if instead of a beautiful Julia Roberts playing this über-sanitized hooker they'd taken a real prostitute (herpes sores on the lips and all) and had her played the part! Imagine, romanticizing such a sad and degrading way of life!
Pretty Woman
1990
Action / Comedy / Romance
Pretty Woman
1990
Action / Comedy / Romance
Plot summary
Because of his extreme wealth and suave good looks, Edward Lewis could seemingly have any woman he wants, that committed significant other which he needs on his arm at social events to further how he makes his money as a corporate raider. However, he focuses more on his corporate raiding pursuits with his partner in crime, Philip Stuckey, his lawyer of ten years, than those women, with every significant other he's had in his life feeling neglected and eventually leaving him, this fact about which he is just coming to the realization. In Beverly Hills, Edward, in needing that woman on his arms as he and Philip work toward taking over the company owned by the increasingly insolvent James Morse, decides, based on a chance encounter, to hire Hollywood Boulevard hooker Vivian Ward as his escort for the week 24/7. He does so because he wants to have a professional who would be committed to the work, yet not have any commitments to her after the week is over. Beyond their chance encounter, he also makes this decision because she surprises him about how unhookerish she is in certain respects. Vivian, relatively new to Los Angeles and the business, still has to look and act the part, with Edward, beyond giving her money, leaving her largely to her own devices to do so. So she gets a somewhat unlikely Henry Higgins in Barney Thompson, the manager of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where Edward is staying. Barney has to draw that fine line of keeping the hotel's upscale clients happy, while maintaining the posh decorum of the upper class, which does not include people coming into the hotel looking for rooms with hourly rates. As Barney and his associates are able to transform Vivian into a Cinderella, the questions become whether Vivian can go back to her Hollywood Boulevard life and whether she does have her Prince Charming beyond this week in the form of Edward or anyone else who truly does see her as Cinderella as opposed to a Hollywood Boulevard streetwalker.
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About as romantic as a case of the clap! DON'T LET YOUR KIDS SEE THIS ONE!!
Hugely entertaining film.
Pretty Woman is a very entertaining film indeed. However, for me, it isn't completely perfect, there were times when the script could have been developed a LITTLE more, and the film itself is a bit on the long side. But overall, you have a charming and entertaining movie. Richard Gere is a charming lead, and I do find him charming in everything he's in. Julia Roberts is wonderful also as Vivienne Ward, a beautiful but down on her luck sort of woman. I will confess I am not a Julia Roberts fan, but she put a lot into this film, and it showed. I was also really impressed with the supporting performances from Jason Alexander, Ralph Bellamy and Hector Elizondo. The film also has some excellent camera-work and well-intentioned direction, with a very lovely scene in the opera house, showing La Traviata, one of the world's saddest operas. The script, while a little frothy and contrived at times, still had a lot of humour and heart. Overall, I really liked this film, it made me feel good, like it promised. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Cinderella Working The Streets
Julia Roberts got her first Best Actress nomination for Pretty Woman where she plays a working girl who has a chance meeting with an Eighties economic entrepreneur played elegantly by Richard Gere. When you think about the film, it's an absolutely unreal fantasy, but carried off brilliantly by the charm of its leads.
It's one of those chance meetings as Roberts is looking to pay her's and roommate Laura San Giacomo's rent. Gere gets himself lost in Hollywood on the way to Beverly Hills and stops and asks Roberts for directions. Those kind of instructions she doesn't normally give, but incredibly enough they hit it off and Gere brings her back to his penthouse suite at the Regent Beverly Hotel. I'm not sure there is such a place in real life.
Turns out he needs her for a business date as he's negotiating with Ralph Bellamy and Alex Hyde-White for their company. Gere essentially does what Danny DeVito does in Other People's Money, but with a little more class. But with lube or not, Bellamy and Hyde-White aren't taking this one without a fight.
Julia's character is part Pygmalion, part Cinderella and who would think she would find as a fairy godfather Hector Elizondo, manager of the Regent Beverly. Normally his job would be to throw working girls out of the place, but Elizondo is charmed by her as everyone else.
Pretty Woman marked the farewell appearance of Ralph Bellamy who made his film debut in 1931. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Bellamy kept going right up to the end when a lot of them were forcibly retired due to the collapse of the studio system. Bellamy to his credit also never did garbage strictly for a paycheck as some others did.
One other interesting character of note is Jason Alexander known to most as George Costanza of Seinfeld. Costanza's a pretty smarmy character in his own right, but Alexander who plays Gere's lawyer makes Costanza look like an Eagle Scout.
In Pretty Woman, both Roberts and Gere learn some valuable life lessons from each other. And the audience will learn a couple also if they get to view Pretty Woman.