Pretty Woman (1990)

A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love.

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writer:

J.F. Lawton

Stars:

Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Edward Lewis
Julia Roberts	...	Vivian Ward
Ralph Bellamy	...	James Morse
Jason Alexander	...	Philip Stuckey
Laura San Giacomo	...	Kit De Luca
Alex Hyde-White	...	David Morse
Amy Yasbeck	...	Elizabeth Stuckey
Elinor Donahue	...	Bridget
Hector Elizondo	...	Barney Thompson
Judith Baldwin	...	Susan
Jason Randal	...	Magician
Bill Applebaum	...	Howard
Tracy Bjork	...	Female Guest
Gary Greene	...	Male Guest
Billy Gallo	...	Carlos (as William Gallo)

Storyline

Because of his extreme wealth and suave good looks, Edward Lewis could seemingly have any woman he wants, that committed significant other which he needs on his arm at social events to further how he makes his money as a corporate raider. However, he focuses more on his corporate raiding pursuits with his partner in crime, Philip Stuckey, his lawyer of ten years, than those women, with every significant other he's had in his life feeling neglected and eventually leaving him, this fact about which he is just coming to the realization. In Beverly Hills, Edward, in needing that woman on his arms as he and Philip work toward taking over the company owned by the increasingly insolvent James Morse, decides, based on a chance encounter, to hire Hollywood Boulevard hooker Vivian Ward as his escort for the week 24/7. He does so because he wants to have a professional who would be committed to the work, yet not have any commitments to her after the week is over. Beyond their chance encounter, ...

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | falling in love with a prostitute | american prostitute | hooker | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

She walked off the street, into his life and stole his heart.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of several films named after its famous titular song played during the movie's end credits in which the title has no direct correlation with the film's actual plot. This trend began in the mid '80s with Stand by Me (1986); other titles include Stand and Deliver (1988), Lean on Me (1989) and My Girl (1991).

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Goofs

When we first see Vivian in bed, she's wearing bikini panties. When she rolls over, the line of an elastic band is visible across her stomach, revealing that Julia Roberts (or her body double) changed from briefs to the fancy underwear just before the scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Magician at party: No matter what they say, it's all about money. So let's imagine, ladies, that you're a savings and loan officer. Watch - one, two, three; see, you've got it all, and we've got nothing. You've got all four, take a look.

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Alternate Versions

The TV version has Kit saying "Cinderella" rather than "Cinde-f**kin'-rella" when she's trying to cheer Vivian up. Scene is re-shot so Kit's mouth matches dialog, rather than just a re-dub.

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Connections

Referenced in The Vicar of Dibley: Comic Relief Special 1999 - Celebrity Party (1999)

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Soundtracks

Life In Detail
Written by Robert Palmer and Allen Powell
Performed by Robert Palmer
Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Such a dream, just you DO NOT think

Obviously similar to Shaw's "Pygmalion", but updated, more modern.

A lovely dream, one very old: rescuing a prostitute from the street. (Not in Woody Allen's sickish-moody way.)

However, if you wish to dream this one, be sure you do NOT start to think very logically . . . She is healthy, not on drugs, not on alcohol, not even a smoker; no syphilis, no gonorrhea, no AIDS wounds on her legs, nothing, she is just perfectly absolutely healthy. Body and mind. She is not a criminal, not inclined to steal anything, she even values love and dignity more than money. Oh, she has no pimp, who would be the other man (other than Richard Gere) in her life; nobody to protect her from smart types who walk off without paying; the pimp would explode the whole romance instantly. (Instead, a girl friend.)

She has a golden soul, full of goodness, and loves art, and feels for art. High-society types around them appear silly, artificial, stuffy. (Different forks.) She is natural. She even was a good student (!) and . . . might be again? She loves to bathe, and half the time we see her happy in the bath tub (which is a powerful signal and symbol for CLEAN, CLEAN; she even sings so super-ultra-charmingly in the bath; she wants to wash off the foolishness of her previous few months of street. And she can do it.

But with all those qualities, WHY would she ever become a prostitute in the first place? Don't think, don't think. Just dream, it is lovely.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

$ 3,000

Filming Locations:

Giorgio Beverly Hills - 273 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,280,591, 25 March 1990

Gross USA:

$178,406,268

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$463,406,268

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 125 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1