PRETTY WOMAN
[Probable Spoilers]
Reviewer: Jaye Mathisen
Copyright 1990 Jaye Mathisen
Summary:
A wealthy businessman meets a hooker on Hollywood
Boulevard, and it's love, love, love. I mean this
kind of thing happens all the time right?
Richard Gere plays Edward Lewis, a powerful, aggressive, and very rich business man who buys up companies, and spits out the pieces for profit. With his limousine jammed in a parking lot, he grabs his lawyers' Lotus Esprit. After the standard "Where's first?" and "How to use a clutch," he ends up lost on Hollywood Boulevard looking for driving lessons, and directions to his ritzy hotel in Beverly Hills.
Enter Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts), a hooker, who needs rent money. For twenty bucks, she not only gives him directions to his hotel, but also drives him there after he gives up handling the Esprit in exasperation. After arriving at the hotel, Edward almost leaves her outside waiting for a bus back to Hollywood Boulevard, but finally decides to invite her up to his room.
There are some cute scenes where they enter the hotel, accompanied by the expected dropped jaws, tongues on floor etc. etc. After reaching Edwards' room, Edward is a little at a loss as to where to start the evening, but we find out that Edward is very serious about what he does, he has no current romantic interests, he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't do drugs, and finds watching Vivian watch 'I Love Lucy' to be a turn-on.
Later, we find that Edward is in the process of buying out a large corporation, and that the owner of the corporation wants to chat with Edward about his plans for the company. On his lawyer's advice, Edward is to make the evening a social event, rather than a business meeting, so he needs a date. After some tough negotiating in the tub, Vivian agrees to be at Edwards' beck and call, for the remainder of the week for the paltry sum of three thousand dollars.
Romance blossoms, with Vivian falling in love with Edward, and Edward (in his own way) falling in love with Vivian. There are some funny scenes including a scene in a restaurant with the ages old dilemma of which fork to use, pointers on how not to deal with escargot, and scenes of Vivian trying to shop on Rodeo Drive while not dressed appropriately. After being asked to leave a swanky clothes shop, Vivian returns to the hotel, only to be greeted by the manager (Hector Elizondo), who suggests that since Mr. Lewis is such an important person to the hotel, they will permit her to stay, but as soon as Mr. Lewis goes home to New York, they'd rather not see her at the hotel again.
One scene that had me in stitches occurs when Edward finds out that the one shop on Rodeo Drive threw Vivian out, and he takes her to another dress shop, where they spend "an obscene amount of money" for clothes and some general "sucking-up." The manager of this store reminded me of Wesson oil.
The end of the week rolls around, and Edward is talking to Vivian about how he'd like to see here next time he's in L.A. He offers to set her up with an apartment, car, money, and everything else she needs or wants. Vivian passes on the deal, and tells Edward about how she always dreamed of the knight in shining armor riding up to her and rescuing her from the tower, but the knight never said, "I got you a condo to stay in...."
Edward and Vivian part company, and Vivian prepares to move to San Francisco, while Edward is readying for departure back to New York. Somewhere on the ride to the airport, Edward realizes that Vivian was the best thing that ever happened to him, and takes the white limo to her apartment to "rescue her."
Rating: As a technical marvel, or as a brilliantly written screenplay, the story never reaches greatness. A flimsy plot, and some oddly-placed asides by Vivian left me wondering if there were some important chunks of film still on the cutting room floor. So it rates 2 stars (**,average) on the 1 to 4 star scale.
Enjoyability Disregarding the above, the film is great. I enjoyed it very much, with Robert's performance being at the proper times funny, sassy, sad, and mushy. Richard Gere plays the businessman just like it should be done: suave, cool, and debonair. Edward's lawyer has just the right amount of sleaze and ruthlessness about him. The other actors and actresses in the supporting roles were also appropriately funny, and lent a light touch. My wife loved it, I liked it, I'll buy the video tape when it comes out, and so it rates a high 3 stars (***) on the 1 to 4 scale.
-- Jaye Mathisen Internet: icsu6000@caesar.cs.montana.edu BITNET: icsu6000@mtsunix1.bitnet .
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