Pretty Woman (1990)
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Pretty Woman Movie Review
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film directed by Gary Marshall and starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. It’s a very charming movie that is implausible, but undeniably fun.
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“I want the fairy tale“
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Edward, a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian, a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds. This is basically a Cinderella story with Pygmalion sprinkled in from time to time. That mixture worked for me as the two fit each other so well. The movie is, thus, far from original, but the execution matters and here it transcended the material effortlessly.
Movies aren’t made like this anymore. This is the usual saying these days. And I don’t quite like to use it, but here its usage is quite apt unfortunately. In the time of cynics, this movie would never be made. But back in 1990, not only was it popular, but it was the third highest-grossing picture of the year. And it’s easy to see why so many people loved it as it’s immensely enjoyable to this day.
While none of it is believable in the slightest and the ending is obviously terribly clichéd in its rom-com trappings, I mostly still managed to suspend my disbelief and enjoyed the movie for what it is, which is a wonderfully acted and endearing romantic comedy.
The performances drive this movie to much greater heights. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts have rarely been better than they were here in probably their most iconic roles. Gere is very charming, likable and perfectly cast as this gentleman with a lot of money, but also a lot of sweetness to him. His calm voice was soothing here.
But Roberts steals the show obviously. This is a fantastic, truly revelatory turn by an actress who would become a true star right after this movie’s release. She is very believable in the role, she was never sexier than she was here and her smile and hair are perfection. The two share great chemistry together and her character is so much fun.
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Pretty Woman benefits from pretty solid humor and a very strong romantic atmosphere throughout. The movie’s comedic situations are well executed and never overstepping their bounds by going into overly slapstick territory. The second half is much less interesting as it has some manufactured drama between the protagonist and one of his friends and the ending is annoying, but other than that the flick is a blast to watch.
