Pretty Woman

"Pretty Woman" is a splendid film which possesses a surprisingly hard and sobering edge beneath the frothy comedy veneer when it needs to and this is illustrated when Stuckey attempts to make good on the idea of calling upon Vivian's services and this almost results in her being raped. However, aside from the film being embroidered with such disturbing threads of darkness as these stemming from Vivian's dangerous and unseemly world the romantic and comedic elements do come together extremely well even if the romance between Edward and Vivian - which is nicely developed and built upon in the beginning - does begin to run out of significent places to go after it becomes perfectly clear that what we have here are two people destined to be together no matter what their backrounds are.

Pretty average movie. The dialog is maybe a bit ahead of its' time, in terms of toxicity and progressivism, but that's a few lines. Feels really sappy and cardboard. The cast has great charisma, but they can't help playing cardboard in such a simple play. I'm not sure how exactly modern fairytales are made good, but most I've seen are better than this. 6/10

"Lewis" (Richard Gere) is a ruthless merger merchant who loves nothing better than a lucrative deal that will line his pockets regardless of the impact on anyone else. He arrives in town and has a one-night stand with call girl "Vivian" (Julia Roberts). He likes her, she likes him - so he decides that she can stay on. Maybe help him out with a few formally social occasions where she can smile and stay schtum? To that end, he gives her a credit card so she can go shop to look the part, and that's when we discover that this girl is no pushover. Despite his rigidity, "Lewis" starts to realise that he's beginning to fall for her, despite her unsavoury provenance but what happens next? The story is simply constructed and fairly predictable, but there is loads of chemistry on display between a more relaxed and natural looking Gere and an on-form Roberts. Hector Elizondo also chips in well as the hotel manager who also begins to fall for her charms and who can ever forget the saleswoman (Dey Young) who judges a book by it's cover and loses out on some mega-commission. The writing is sparing, but funny and observational of a society that judges relentlessly without ever really taking any time to get to know the people it is harshest to. Roberts offers us a cheekily endearing and spirited character that just belongs in that stretched limousine. Good fun.