Whore meets kerb crawler... Love, Hollywood style (Pretty Woman (DVD))

Member Name: DJBorley

Product:	Pretty Woman (DVD)
Date:	03/06/03 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great film

Disadvantages: You may get addicted!

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

This is, by far, my most favourite film of all time. I may be male, and straight, but I still think that this film is brilliant, even though it is your typical "chick flick"

Released in 1990 and directed by Garry Marshall (the same guy who directed the movie Beaches and also apparently directed some Happy Days and Mork & Mindy episodes), this film is a story about a rich businessman and a hooker, and their chance encounter on a Hollywood street.

Edward, played by Richard Gere is a suave, extremely wealthy businessman specializing in taking over companies and then selling them off piece by piece. Following his break up with his girlfriend over the phone after a nasty argument at the start of the film, Edward takes his friend's car and speeds away, getting lost on Hollywood Boulevard looking for his hotel. He stops en route to ask Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts), a hooker walking the streets, for directions. Directions which, says Vivian, will cost $10:

Edward: "You can't charge me for directions."
Vivian: "I can do anything I want to Baby, I ain't lost."
Edward: "Alright, okay. Alright - you win, I lose - got change for twenty?"
Vivian: "For twenty I'll show you personal"

And so begins the start of a fantastic celluloid relationship. Edward is so taken with Vivian, finding her attitude to him refreshing, if nothing else, that he offers her money to spend more time with him, $300 for the night, rising to $3,000 for a whole week with him, accompanying him on the "rich and famous" circuit, where it is frowned upon for a man of Edward's status to be seen alone.

Edward: "I will pay you to be at my beck and call."
Vivian: "Look I'd love to be your beck and call girl, but um, you're a rich good looking guy, you could get a mill
ion girls free.&quo
t;
Edward: "I want a professional. I don't need any romantic hassles this week."

The film follows the ups and downs that the unlikely pairing find themselves encountering - Vivian with her troubles, dressed as a hooker, trying to buy a cocktail dress on Rodeo Drive for her business dinner with Edward that night, and with Edward, and the troubles that he faces, as his heart over-rules his head in a business decision for the first time he can remember.

The story is predictable, and age old, but somehow that doesn't distract at all from the movie. The two leads have an undeniable chemistry on screen, which sets the feel for the whole film. We have the dashing lead man, the beautiful lead woman and the slime ball colleague of Edward, Stuckey, excellently played by Jason Alexander.

You can follow the ups and downs of this movie, empathising with Vivian when Edward puts her down:

Edward: "I've never treated you like a prostitute."
Vivian: "You just did."

Billed as a romantic comedy, this is an ideal film for women and couples - The ultimate chick flick as it were. I love it for the rollercoaster of emotions that you are taken on. The turns that the film takes, the betrayal, the heartbreak, the twists that the film holds. It's by no means an "edge-of-your-seat" film, but it IS a film that will pull you along by your heart strings.

Costing around a tenner online, with the cheapest VHS copy I've seen online being £9.34 on ChoicesDirect.co.uk, including P&P, you can actually get this cheaper in most stores, with HMV selling it for less than £5 a week or two ago.

All fairy tales have fantastic endings. Does this film? Well, you'll have to get it out and see for yourself!

So, you grab the tissues, I'll grab some ice cream, we'll both grab the video from Blockbusters and we'll settle down to t
his fantastic film later on tonight. One last thing: If I fo
rget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight.

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