Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Pretty Woman - 4 Stars (Excellent)
"Pretty Woman" was originally scripted as a dark drama
about prostitution in Los Angeles, but thankfully movie
producer Laura Ziskin said "No" and what started out as a
very brooding, negative film turned into one of the most
popular and financially successful romantic comedies of all
time. Find out why.
With a production cost of $14 million and a worldwide gross
of $464 million, Laura Ziskin had to be smiling all of the
way to the bank.
Pretty Woman's title character, Vivian Ward (Julia
Roberts), is a down-on-her-luck prostitute who is hired by
Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), a wealthy businessman and
corporate raider, as arm candy for several business
functions.
The arrangement works well but begins to get complicated
when Edward discovers Vivian is not just a hooker from
Hollywood Boulevard but also a woman of substance, and
Vivian finds herself falling in love in a situation that
essentially has no future.
There is nothing positive about the common perception of a
hooker, but Vivian smashes through the normal perceptions
by quickly getting viewers past her obvious good looks and
revealing her inner beauty, transparent feelings and
uncompromising commitment by not settling for a
comfortable, Edward-financed lifestyle as arm candy and
companion.
Her willingness to walk away from the fee arrangement for
her gig ultimately gets Edward's attention, and a Hollywood
story line takes over. Vivian becomes so likeable we want
to cheer for her as she stands her ground and forces Edward
to make a decision. Both Vivian and Edward experience some
serious personal growth that moviegoers can relate to and
appreciate.
The story line reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's
Pygmalion, which became the basis for the Broadway musical
"My Fair Lady" with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a
poor flower girl who morphs into a beautiful princess. The
character of Vivian also reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's
role as Holly Golightly, another lady of the night in
"Breakfast at Tiffany's".
Director Garry Marshall completely avoids negatives in this
film by wisely handling Vivian's role, and playing the
characters around her like a concert master fine tuning an
orchestra. His work went a long way in helping Pretty Woman
win a Golden Globe for Best Picture. Richard Gere picked up
a Golden Globe for Best Actor, and Hector Elizondo won a
Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe as the hotel manager
Barney Thompson.
The shining star in Pretty Woman was Julia Roberts. She was
a relative unknown at the time, and walked away with a
Golden Globe as Best Actress and an Academy Award
nomination as Best Actress.
Pretty Woman, released in 1990, was notable for the number
of leading ladies who turned down the role of Vivian,
including Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer and
Daryl Hannah. Julia Roberts really won the role by default,
but she made the most of her opportunity and the movie
quickly made her Hollywood's newest sweetheart, a role she
held for nearly 15 years.
Al Pacino also turned down the role of Edward Lewis,
leaving the door open for Richard Gere.
Here is some key trivia in the movie:
1) The opera in San Francisco that Edward flies Vivian to
in a private jet is "La Traviata", the tale of a Parisian
courtesan who falls in love with a wealthy young man.
2) Richard Gere actually plays the piano himself in a late
night scene, he even composed the music that he plays.
3) The sports car Edward borrows at the beginning of the
movie is a Lotus Esprit. Ferrari and Porsche turned down
the advertising opportunity because they did not want to be
associated with soliciting prostitutes. Lotus won big time
as its Esprit sales tripled during the next year.
The film also benefited from its title and association to
"Oh, Pretty Woman", Roy Orbison's worldwide hit recorded 26
years earlier.
I really liked Pretty Woman and not just because of Julia
Roberts' jump-off-the-screen attractiveness, especially
after Edward escorts Vivian to Rodeo Drive for a shopping
spree, proving that clothes can complete even a very
attractive woman. Even more important is her courage,
determination, substance and dignity under stress.
If you like relationship movies and romantic comedies,
Pretty Woman is a must see.
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Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis
and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews,
Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing.
My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate
you the reader. Read my reviews on "Ghost", "Million Dollar
Baby", "Passion of the Christ" and "National Treasure".
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviews.html
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