Pretty Woman




You and I are such similar creatures Vivian.

Disney's popular fairy tale storytelling even extends to this, the movie that made Julia Roberts a real hit.

In his business of buying floundering companies and then selling them off piecemal for profit, Edward (Richard Gere) is a respectable but reserved man that comes across Vivian (Julia Roberts) on the streets. Though she's a prostitute, he takes her along innocently enough for directions. On a whim, he then hires her to act like his girlfriend for the week he's in town with Hollywood love not far behind.

Pretty Woman has the formula for success all but figured out. Even though their professions are less than enviable, they are both "nice" (and lonely) people at heart. Throw in a couple of scenes where the down to earth folk embarrass the assumed snobs, forced or otherwise, and it has got it made. It really is a fairy tale, one that somehow paints a genial light on even what should be the bleakest landscapes. In stories like these, the worst isn't found on the streets, but with the typically bad lawyer (Jason Alexander) in a nice suit. The rest of the movie is agreeable enough, excepting about eighty percent of the attempted humor. Most of it involves the girls being obnoxious or showing up the more financially fortunate just for fun. Some decent tunes also punctuate scenes.

Richard Gere plays the colder of the duo, so it's his thawing heart that takes up most of the screen. His performance is pleasant but forgettable. Julia Roberts is quite the opposite, being the good-humored girl with a bubbly personality and an annoying Southern accent. In fact, she's rather annoying up until she puts on some decent clothes, and even then there's not much worth bragging about. I guess audiences will fall for any girl as long as she's not afraid to be regular enough, even if she happens to be superstar beautiful. It's actually Jason Alexander who outshines them both, flouted box office chemistry and all, but that's mostly because he has a more interesting part as Edward's hard nosed lawyer.

With a questionable script, sappy romance and brittle comedy, Pretty Woman just barely squeaks by with its innocent persona and innate aversion at any musings lower than skin deep.



-The Gnome