"It was so good, I almost peed my pants!" -- Vivian
You took the words right out of my mouth, Viv. I remember a time when I couldn't stand the sight of Julia Roberts. I don't even know what she did to offend me so. Maybe I felt this movie was hyped into the ground and I thought it could never live up to my expectations, so why even bother seeing it.
Then I watched Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. "You know, even though we've seen Pretty Woman, like, 36 times, I never get tired of making fun of it." If Romy & Michele liked it, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Perhaps it's because I waited almost 10 years to see it, but I had completely forgotten about all the hype. I had forgotten that Julia Roberts was nominated for an Oscar alongside Meryl Streep, Anjelica Huston and Kathy Bates. I, however, had not forgotten about the horrifically awesome soundtrack. I think "The King of Wishful Thinking" was stuck in my head for a good two weeks. Don't even get me started on that Roxette song.
I'm sure you all know the story by now: Richard Gere is the dapper, older gentleman, Julia Roberts is the hooker with the heart of gold, Jason Alexander is the a-hole bent on breaking the two up and Hector Elizondo is the kindly old fellow who teaches the trailer trash how to fit in on Rodeo Drive. And let's not forget Laura San Giacomo (and her eyebrows) as the foul-mouthed best friend.
Yes, it's formulaic. Yes, you know how it's going to end before it even begins. But sometimes you just want to put in a movie and not have to think too hard about it. This is the perfect movie for that. There's so much to love here...and so much to make fun of, as Lisa Kudrow so eloquently pointed out to me.
Why you should watch Pretty Woman: it's a classic romantic-comedy with a great cast and a solid script that has stood the test of time.
Why you should skip it: you haven't forgiven this couple for Runaway Bride.
Did you know?: The scene where Edward snaps the necklace case down on Vivian's fingers was improvised by Gere, and Roberts's reaction was totally natural. The filmmakers liked it so much, they decided to leave it in.
Molly Ringwald was originally offered the role of Vivian but turned it down. And Al Pacino turned down the role of Edward. Can we just stop for a minute and think about what this movie would have been like with these two?
Credits:
U.S. (Silver Screen, Touchstone) 119m Technicolor
Director: Garry Marshall
Producer: Arnon Milchan, Steven Reuther
Screenplay: J.F. Lawton
Music: James Newton Howard
Cast: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, Hector Elizondo, Alex Hyde-White, Amy Yasbeck, Elinor Donahue, Judith Baldwin, Jason Randal, Bill Applebaum, Tracy Bjork, Gary Greene, Billy Gallo
Oscar nomination: Julia Roberts (actress)
Up Next: Caro Diario (1994)
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