Mercy!
Hard to believe Pretty Woman came out 19 years ago. I saw it on TV last week for the first time since then. I didn't think much of it originally, but I figured I'd give it another chance. (This time around, I recognized a lot of the LA landmarks.) There's no question the film had something, since it was a gigantic worldwide hit, and made Julia Roberts a star.
Roberts is what it mostly has. A lot of women turned down the role, yet it's hard to imagine the film would have worked without her. It's surprising how little plot there is. Rich businessman Richard Gere picks up prostitute Julia Roberts, pays her to hang out with him for a week, and they fall in love as they learn from each other. The only thing that really keeps it going is the charm of Roberts.
The original script by J. F. Lawton was a lot darker--from what I understand, he picks her up from the gutter, uses her, then throws her back in the gutter. Director Garry Marshall and his producers at Disney turned it into a fairy tale, closely following Pygmalion. The sideplot of Gere going from corporate raider to caring human being is so pro forma, and so predictable, that the scenes could be cut by 90% and it wouldn't make any difference (though it is fun to see Jason Alexander, on the cusp of fame in Seinfeld, playing the evil lawyer). For that matter, the third act, when Gere and Roberts finally get together after some tiresome complications, is pointless as well.
So all you've got is Julia Roberts bouncing around, and some chemistry with Gere (who underplays and is reasonably effective). There's also some great supporting work by Marshall regular Hector Elizondo as the hotel manager. But what I think made the film such a blockbuster is it plays so well into female fantasies. I know a story about a beautiful hooker sounds like a male fantasy, but it's told from her point of view. And when you break it down, it's not about her being a prostitute. It's about a woman in a lowly circumstance being saved by a mysterious, handsome, sweet, rich man who gives her everything she wants.
The money scenes are her experience on Rodeo Drive. Gere puts her up at the Beverly Wilshire and gives her dough to go buy some decent clothes. (By the way, there's a big scene where she bargains with him until he agrees to pay $3000 for six days of her services. She acts like she's made the best deal ever. I know this is a decent chunk of change, but even taking inflation into account, isn't this a bit low rent?) She marches out to a swanky shop on Rodeo, wearing a skanky outfit. Two snooty saleswomen take one look at her and make it clear she's not welcome. Later, Richard Gere takes her to another store (where Larry Miller does some good work as the sycophantic employee), makes it clear they better bow and scrape, and lets Roberts go wild. She then returns to the snooty store and shows them the commissions they lost. These are the moments, more than any other, that sold the film. Yet, they don't really make much sense. When she walks into the first store, young and stunning, she may be dressed like a tramp, but so were a lot of Madonna fans back then. This is Beverly Hills. The saleswomen would figure she's some girl with daddy's credit card.
As you can probably tell, I didn't change my mind about the quality of the film. But I think I can see, with its wish fulfillment, and a charming central performance, why it hit so big.
Roberts is what it mostly has. A lot of women turned down the role, yet it's hard to imagine the film would have worked without her. It's surprising how little plot there is. Rich businessman Richard Gere picks up prostitute Julia Roberts, pays her to hang out with him for a week, and they fall in love as they learn from each other. The only thing that really keeps it going is the charm of Roberts.
The original script by J. F. Lawton was a lot darker--from what I understand, he picks her up from the gutter, uses her, then throws her back in the gutter. Director Garry Marshall and his producers at Disney turned it into a fairy tale, closely following Pygmalion. The sideplot of Gere going from corporate raider to caring human being is so pro forma, and so predictable, that the scenes could be cut by 90% and it wouldn't make any difference (though it is fun to see Jason Alexander, on the cusp of fame in Seinfeld, playing the evil lawyer). For that matter, the third act, when Gere and Roberts finally get together after some tiresome complications, is pointless as well.
So all you've got is Julia Roberts bouncing around, and some chemistry with Gere (who underplays and is reasonably effective). There's also some great supporting work by Marshall regular Hector Elizondo as the hotel manager. But what I think made the film such a blockbuster is it plays so well into female fantasies. I know a story about a beautiful hooker sounds like a male fantasy, but it's told from her point of view. And when you break it down, it's not about her being a prostitute. It's about a woman in a lowly circumstance being saved by a mysterious, handsome, sweet, rich man who gives her everything she wants.
The money scenes are her experience on Rodeo Drive. Gere puts her up at the Beverly Wilshire and gives her dough to go buy some decent clothes. (By the way, there's a big scene where she bargains with him until he agrees to pay $3000 for six days of her services. She acts like she's made the best deal ever. I know this is a decent chunk of change, but even taking inflation into account, isn't this a bit low rent?) She marches out to a swanky shop on Rodeo, wearing a skanky outfit. Two snooty saleswomen take one look at her and make it clear she's not welcome. Later, Richard Gere takes her to another store (where Larry Miller does some good work as the sycophantic employee), makes it clear they better bow and scrape, and lets Roberts go wild. She then returns to the snooty store and shows them the commissions they lost. These are the moments, more than any other, that sold the film. Yet, they don't really make much sense. When she walks into the first store, young and stunning, she may be dressed like a tramp, but so were a lot of Madonna fans back then. This is Beverly Hills. The saleswomen would figure she's some girl with daddy's credit card.
As you can probably tell, I didn't change my mind about the quality of the film. But I think I can see, with its wish fulfillment, and a charming central performance, why it hit so big.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:16 AM
4 Comments:
You're leaving out the fact that the script had several legitimately funny lines.
You always demand evidence to back up statements. Well, what are these lines?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100405/quotes
I'm not buying it
When she walks into the first store, young and stunning, she may be dressed like a tramp, but so were a lot of Madonna fans back then. This is Beverly Hills. The saleswomen would figure she's some girl with daddy's credit card.
Funny. And very true. I think everyone who has watched Beverly Hills 90210 should actually visit the campus of Beverly Hills High School. In real life, rich high school students mostly dress grungy.
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