Pretty Woman

Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander
Directed by: Garry Marshall
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An extremely rich man (Richard Gere) hires a prostitute (Julia Roberts) to spend a week with him as a date going to parties and other rich peoples' events. During the week, the pair begin to fall for each other, although their different worlds may prevent anything from happening permanently.

Review:

Tim: I'm a little surprised that this movie is as beloved as it is. Sure, I understand the appeal of the real life fairy tale, but the hooker with a heart of gold is such a Hollywood cliche. I suppose this story was a little fresher when the movie was released in 1990. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, Pretty Woman has stood the test of time and remains a highly regarded movie, especially among the female population.

This movie works so well because Julia Roberts is so believable both as a prostitute and as a woman reformed. How she does this is beyond me, but her transformation is flawless and works very well. Richard Gere is also quite accurate, in his portrayal of a ruthless workaholic (who also happens to be a good man at heart). While many of his actions could be viewed as absurd, he acts so well that the ridiculous aspects of the film seem to be only a moment of discomfort in our mind. If you are going to find a reason for why this movie works as well as it does, it will be the chemistry between Roberts and Gere. They are genuinely fun to watch together, and seem to enjoy their time on screen.

I wish I could have enjoyed this movie more. Perhaps my masculinity got in the way, or perhaps I just couldn't shake the disbelief that a millionaire would so quickly trust and befriend a prostitute. I know this is a "real life" fairy tale, but it occasionally asks us to trust it a bit too much. Still, Pretty Woman is an enjoyable movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Runaway Bride, The Girl Next Door, My Best Friend's Wedding