- For the song sometimes known as "Pretty Woman", see Oh, Pretty Woman.
Pretty Woman is a 1990 American
romantic comedy motion picture. The film centers around
the title character, down-on-her-luck prostitute Vivian Ward, (Julia Roberts), who is hired by an exceedingly wealthy business man, Edward Lewis, played by
Richard Gere, to be his escort for several business functions, and their developing
relationship.
Pretty Woman was initially intended to be a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles but was reconceptualized into a romantic comedy. The film was a critical success and
became one of 1990's highest grossing films, and today is one of the most financially successful entries in the romantic comedy
genre, with an estimated gross of $464 million USD.[1]
Roberts received a Golden Globe Award for her role, and was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Actress. Screenwriter J. F. Lawton was nominated for a Writers Guild
Award and a BAFTA Award. The film was followed by a
string of similar romantic comedies, including Runaway Bride, which
teamed up Gere and Roberts once again due to Pretty Woman's success.
Plot
Corporate raider Edward Lewis (Gere) is having trouble driving the Lotus he has
borrowed and stops to ask for directions on Hollywood Boulevard . Vivian, thinking
he is trying to find "a date" walks over to his car. Vivian Ward (Roberts), is the hooker with a heart of gold. A lost Edward Lewis agrees to pay her for directions and rather
than giving him the change she should, jumps in the car and offers to show him personal! On the way to his penthouse suite,
Vivian comments on his bad driving and much to her surprise and delight he asks her to drive the rest of the way. Despite the
Lotus's famously stiff clutch, she soldiers on and takes him to his hotel without mishap. Vivian, in spite of thinking she had
charmed is at first rejected by Edward and decides to return to her corner by bus, when Edward recognizes her disappointment at
"the one that got away" he offers to hire her for an hour, which after awkward conversation becomes a night.
Edward explains his business to her, which is to buy large business, break them up and sell them on in smaller parts to make a
profit. Vivian compares it to a chop shop, where stolen cars are cut up for parts and often
sold for more than the whole car is worth. He acknowledges the validity of the comparison—for the first time.
The next day, Edward's lawyer Phil calls Edward and tells him that James Morse and his grandson David wish to meet with him to
discuss Edward's plans to buy out their business. Edward decides to bring a date in order to keep the meeting social, and hires
Vivian to spend the week with him, offering to pay her $3000. He gives her some money in order to buy a dress for the dinner, but
when she attempts to shop on Rodeo Dr., the saleswomen snub her due to her streetwalker's
clothing. She returns to the hotel distraught and Bernard, the manager of the hotel, befriends her and helps her buy a dress. He
also gives her a lesson in table manners so that she will not be intimidated by seeing five forks.
That night, Vivian and Edward meet James and David Morse for dinner. During the meal, Vivian brings out the enlightened
gentleman in the elderly Morse but the business discussion with Edward grows colder and colder. Everything about James Morse
shames Edward and exposes his lack of real quality in spite of his financial status. The Morses express their anger over Edward's
impending takeover of their company and finally storm out of the restaurant.
The next morning, Vivian tells Edward of the saleswomen who had refused to help her. Edward accompanies her on a shopping
spree. Their business relationship quickly develops into friendship, and Edward and Vivian go on several dates and spend several
evenings trading deep emotional insights they can't tell to anyone else. In an attempt to persuade Edward to abandon his
self-discipline and understand "lower class" people she invites him to "veg out" in front of the TV. Despite her experience as a
prostitute, Vivan finds herself falling in love with Edward.
Edward and Vivian go to a corporate polo match, where Vivian meets Phil and his wife Elizabeth.
They also see David Morse, and Vivian has a friendly conversation with him. Curious to know more about Vivian, and suggesting she
might be a spy for the Morses, Phil pesters Edward until he reveals that Vivian is actually a prostitute he picked up the night
he borrowed Phil's car. Greatly amused at this revelation, Phil approaches Vivian and suggests that he hire her after Edward is
done with her. She is hurt at what she perceives as Edward's betrayal and cheap treatment of her. On the way home she ignores him
Edward and when she gets back to the penthouse she tells him she is upset with how he treated her at the match. He tells her that
he revealed her "secret" to Phil. She then proceeds to tell him she is leaving and that she wants her money he throws the money
on the bed, and walks away. She gathers her clothes, but doesn't take the money. Edward came back into the room and realizes she
didn't take the money, so he goes after her. She is in the hallway waiting on the elevator when Edward comes out and apologizes.
The elevator doors open after he apologizes and Vivian has to make a decision to go or stay, she decided to stay. After the
elevator shuts she then proceeds to tell him: "You hurt me; don't do it again."
An idyllic few days ensue when Edward flies Vivian to Sans Francisco for an opera performance by private jet, dressing her in
an haute couture gown and a ruby necklace lent to him by a famous jeweler.
As the time draws near for Edward to finalize his buyout of Morse Industries, he loses his bitter lust for vengeance against
his father and decides to partner with Morse instead: to build ships, rather than breaking up a shipyard and selling it for
scrap. Phil is shocked to hear this and later goes to Edward's hotel to confront him. He finds Vivian alone in the penthouse, and
after blaming her for Edward's backing out of the takeover, attempts to jump on her. He slaps her and calls her a whore. Edward
arrives and pulls Phil off Vivian; he punches Phil and kicks him out.
The week ends and Edward prepares to return to New York. Edward tells Vivien that he wants to
see her again when he's next in LA, offering to supply her with a condo, a car, and as much money as she needs. Vivian refuses
and tells Edward that she wants the whole thing; commitment, or nothing at all. She describes for him a dream from her childhood:
rescue from a tower by a knight on a white horse, and tells him that this is what she wants. She wants the fairy tale. When
Edward says that he cannot offer that, before he leaves he tells her "I've never treated like prostitute" when he's gone she
whispers "you just did". Vivian leaves before he gets back but says good-bye to Bernard first.
The next day, Edward checks out of the hotel. Bernard notices his pensiveness and remarks that Darryl, Edward's usual limo
driver, had dropped Vivian off at her apartment the day before. Edward asks Darryl to drive him to her apartment in a white
limousine; he arrives as Vivian is packing to go to San Francisco. He has
flowers and opera music blaring from the limousine. He conquers his fear of heights and climbs the fire escape to her apartment
on the top floor. Vivian meets him on the landing and he asks her what happens after the prince rescues her. She replies, "she
rescues him right back", and they kiss each other warmly. And live happily ever after, in modern day terms.
Primary cast
Julia Roberts as the transformed Vivian
- Richard Gere as Edward Lewis: A wealthy, unhappy and cynical businessman
searching for an escort for a business dinner. He meets streetwalker Vivian Ward, and his relationship with her helps him regain
his happiness.
- Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward: A financially-troubled prostitute. Her
relationship with Edward offers her a way out of poverty.
- Ralph Bellamy as James "Jim" Morse: An elderly businessman whose company
Edward is trying to buy.
- Jason Alexander as Philip Stuckey: Edward's self-centered, sexist
lawyer.
- Laura San Giacomo as Kit De Luca: A prostitute. Vivian's best-friend
and roommate.
- Hector Elizondo as Bernard Thompson: The manager of the hotel where
Edward is staying. He quickly sees that Vivian is not Edward's niece and helps her in the way a real uncle would, making possible
Vivian's transformation.
- Hank Azaria as Detective (on Hollywood Blvd.)
- Alex Hyde-White as David Morse: James Morse's grandson. He is being
groomed to take over the family business.
- Amy Yasbeck as Elizabeth Stuckey: Philip's wife
- Elinor Donahue as Bridget
Production
Pre-production
Pretty Woman was initially intended to be a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles in the late 1980s early 1990s. The
relationship between Vivian and Edward also harbored controversial themes, including the concept of having Vivian addicted to
cocaine; part of the deal was that she had to stay off it for a week. She needed the money to go to Disneyland. Edward eventually
throws her out of his car and drives off. The movie was scripted to end with Vivian and her prostitute friend on the bus to
Disneyland. These traits, considered by producer Laura Ziskin to be detrimental to the
otherwise sympathetic portrayal of her, were removed or incorporated into the character of Vivian's friend, Kit. These "cut
scenes" have been found in public view, and some were included on the DVD released on the movie's 15th anniversary. One such
scene has Vivian offering Edward, "I could just pop ya good and be on my way", indicating a lack of interest in "pillow talk". In another, she is confronted by drug dealers outside of The Blue Banana, and rescued by
Edward.
Inspirations for the film could have been drawn from the Pygmalion myth.
It also bears striking resemblances to George Bernard Shaw's play of the same name, which also formed the basis for the Broadway musical My Fair Lady. It was then
Disney Studio President Jeffrey
Katzenberg who insisted it should be re-written as a modern-day fairy tale, instead of being the dark story it was in the
original script titled 3,000.[2] It also has
unconfirmed references to That Touch of Mink, starring Doris Day and Cary Grant.
The male lead is a businessman, Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere). While ruthless in
business — he is a "corporate raider" — he is portrayed as intelligent, sensitive, and
pensive, unlike the more common stereotype of the late 1980s financial tycoon as coarse and narcissistic (and often nouveau
riche). Asking for directions to his hotel, he meets a prostitute, Vivian. (In the United States, as in much of the world,
prostitutes who work on the streets come disproportionately from the lower classes, and Vivian suffers from financial
desperation.) Because of her deprived background, she is naïve and unaware of basic manners, resulting in mild embarrassment for
herself and Edward, who handles it with cheerful, unpretentious good-nature. In contrast to class and occupational archetypes —
she's charismatic, kind, and perceptive. During the time spent together, Vivian learns from Edward the virtue of manners and
money and Edward learns from Vivian the virtue of treating everyone with respect. Of course, an unlikely love relationship grows
between Edward and Vivian, and throughout the movie they struggle with the differences in social class and values.
Casting of Pretty Woman was a rather lengthy process. Marshall had initially considered Christopher Reeve for the role of Lewis, and Al Pacino turned it
down.[3] Pacino went as far as doing a casting reading with
Roberts before turning the leading role down.[4] Gere
agreed to the project. Reportedly, Gere started off much more active in his role, but Garry Marshall took him aside and said "No,
no, no. Richard. In this movie, one of you moves and one of you doesn't. Guess which one you are?" Julia Roberts was far from the first choice for the role of Vivian, it went to many successful A-list
actresses including Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast
Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty
in Pink) who turned it down because she felt uncomfortable with the content in the script, and didn't like the idea of
playing a prostitute. She has stated in several interviews that she regrets turning the role down. Meg
Ryan, who was a top choice of Marshall's, turned it down. Michelle Pfeiffer
turned the role down as well, because she didn't like the "tone" of the script[5]. Daryl Hannah also was considered, but turned the role down
because she believed it was "degrading to women" [6]. A
runner-up for the role Valeria Golino turned it down, because she didn't think the movie
could work with her thick Italian accent. Jennifer Jason Leigh had auditioned for
the part, but later decided not to do the movie after she read the script. [7]. When all the other actresses turned down the role, Julia
Roberts, who was relatively unknown at the time, with the exception of the film Steel
Magnolias, was able to win the role.
Filming
Pretty Woman's budget was not limited, therefore producers could acquire as many locations as possible for shooting on
their estimated $14,000,000 . The majority of the film was shot in Los Angeles,
California, to be specific, in Beverly Hills. The escargot restaurant scene was filmed at the Rex, now called Cicada. Filming commenced on July 24, 1989, but was immediately plagued by countless problems, including issues with space and time. This included
Ferrari and Porsche, who had declined the product placement
opportunity of the car Edward drove, because they did not want to be associated with soliciting prostitutes. Lotus Cars UK saw the placement value with such a major feature film. This gamble paid off as
Esprit sales tripled in 1990-1991. The company supplied a Silver 1989.5 Esprit SE, which
was later sold. The film's primary shooting was completed on October 18, 1989.
Music
Pretty Woman is noted for its musical selections and launched a hugely successful soundtrack. The film features the
song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, the title
of which inspired that of the movie. Roxette's "It Must
Have Been Love" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990. The soundtrack also features "The
King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West, "Show Me
Your Soul" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "No Explanation" by
Peter Cetera, "Wild Women Do" by Natalie Cole and
"Fallen" by Lauren Wood.
The opera featured in the movie is La Traviata,
which also served as inspiration for the plot of the movie. The piano piece which Richard Gere's character plays in the hotel
lobby was composed by and performed by Gere.
Controversy and Reaction
Possibly due to the controversial subject matter, the movie was heavily edited. Groundbreaking on account of its sympathetic
depiction of an occupation thought dishonorable and indecent by most Americans, the film has been described as featuring
"a prostitute with a heart of gold". Following its release, the film was
blamed by the media for an influx of prostitutes to affluent areas.
In pop culture
- In a season six episode of Law & Order with the murder victum being a prostatute
a one time suspect references the flim "Richard Gere picks up Julia Roberts they make a billion dollars off of it"
- The 2001 film The Princess Diaries, a parallel to the Pretty
Woman film, has many of the same supporting cast members and the same lines used in Pretty Woman. Garry Marshall is the director of both films and they are both made at Disney (though Pretty Woman
was released under the Touchstone Pictures banner). In The Princess Diaries 2, Allan Kent's character catches the ring he says "It
happens all the time", a reference to the snails scene.
- Mentioned in Ugly Betty episode "West Side Story".
- In Shrek 2 Pretty Woman was mentioned on a list of fairy tales when The Fairy
Godmother told Shrek that fairy tales don't have ogres. The Producer of Shrek 2, Jeffrey
Katzenberg, was the Disney executive that guided Pretty Woman.
- In the romantic film spoof Date Movie (2006) the scene in which Roberts walks
around Beverly Hills to "Oh Pretty Woman" is
parodied. However, instead of Roberts' character being a female, it is reversed to a male.
- In the 30 Rock episode "Black Tie",
Jack gives Liz a necklace and snaps the box down on her fingers. Instead of laughing like Vivian does in the film, Liz angrily
yells at him for hurting her hand. Both Liz and Vivian were wearing a red dress in the scene.
- In the beginning scenes of Romy and Michele's High School
Reunion, the main characters Romy and Michele are watching this movie on TV and making fun of the scene where Vivian
is being scorned by saleswomen in a boutique.
- In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the youngest child
Ashley wants to know about sex, and when it is suggested that they give her a realistic portrayal of relationships, her ditzy
older sister Hilary suggests renting Pretty Woman.
Awards
Won:
Nominated:
References
See also
External links
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