Pretty Woman

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"Pretty Woman" redirects here. For the song sometimes known as "Pretty Woman", see Oh, Pretty Woman.

Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman movie poster.
Directed by	Garry Marshall
Produced by	Arnon Milchan Steven Reuther
Written by	J.F. Lawton
Starring	Richard Gere Julia Roberts
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s)	March 23, 1990
Running time	119 min.
Language	English
Budget	$14,000,000
IMDb profile

Pretty Woman is an American romantic comedy motion picture that was one of the top films at the box office in 1990. The title character, a prostitute named Vivian Ward, was played by Julia Roberts, who received a Golden Globe Award for her role. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Screenwriter J. F. Lawton was nominated for a Writers Guild Award and a British Academy Award.

1 Primary cast
2 Plot
3 Overview
4 Music
5 Trivia
6 Mistakes
7 Awards
8 References
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] Primary cast

Richard Gere: Edward Lewis
Julia Roberts: Vivian Ward
Ralph Bellamy: James Morse
Jason Alexander: Philip Stuckey
Laura San Giacomo: Kit De Luca
Hector Elizondo: Barney Thompson
Hank Azaria: Detective (Hollywood Blvd.)
Alex Hyde-White: David Morse
Amy Yasbeck: Elizabeth Stuckey
Elinor Donahue: Bridget
Bill Applebaum: Howard
Billy Gallo: Carlos

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film opens with Lewis Enterprises' CEO Edward Lewis (Gere) and his lawyer Phil Stuckey (Alexander) attending a party with many others, in which Edward has a fight over the phone with his girlfriend who's in New York City. Wanting to go back to the hotel that he's staying at, Edward borrows Phil's car (a silver Lotus Esprit), because Edward's limo is stuck behind other cars in the valet parking lot. He has to drive through Hollywood Boulevard to get to the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, but the car is stick-shift, and he doesn't know how to operate it, and he also loses his way while driving.

Around the same time, a prostitute named Vivian Ward (Roberts), is awaken from sleep by over hearing the landlord demanding the rent from another tenant in the building. She goes to the toilet, where she has the rent money hidden in a closed soap dish in the toilet basin, but when she opens the soap dish, there's only a couple of singles in there. She goes to the Blue Banana, a local hang-out bar/night club, where her friend and roommate, Kit DeLuca (Giacomo), is, and finds out that Kit has used all of the rent money on a "little pick-me-up" (drugs). Low on money due to Kit's drug habit, where she's still in debt to a local drug dealer and pimp, Carlos, Vivian and Kit go off to work on the streets that night, and Kit spots Edward struggling with Stuckey's car. Kit tells Vivan to go to the car. Vivan offers Edward a night with her, but Edward only wants directions to his hotel. Vivian agrees to direct him to the hotel for $10. As Edward asks for change from a $20 bill, Carlos and his thugs spot Vivian in the streets. Vivian gets into Edward's car and guides him to the hotel personally to avoid Carlos.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Edward covers Vivian's revealing outfit with his overcoat, so that she will be less noticeable by the hotel guests. When they arrive upstairs, Vivian is awed by the beautiful Penthouse in which Edward was staying. Wanting only Vivian's company, Edward reluctantly avoids Vivian's sexual advances. When she pulls the condoms from her boot, Edward explains that he only wants to talk. When someone knocks at the door, Vivian becomes slightly worried. When the door is opened, room service is standing on the other side. Vivian gladly takes the strawberries and Champagne, but is unaware that a tip is in order. Seeing the display, Vivian tells Edward that she is a sure deal, basically stating the seduction was unnecessary. She also tells him that she's working on a time schedule, so to put the issue of time behind them, Edward asks her how much would it cost her to spend the night, she tells him $300, which she thinks is a high price, but it's more like pocket change to Edward, who tells her, "Done!" A little while later, Vivian is in the bathroom, but Edward walks in on her accidentally, and she is hiding something behind her hand. Edward, mistakenly thinking it's drugs, tells her to get her things and leave because he doesn't want any drugs around him. Vivian tells him that she doesn't do drugs, she hasn't done drugs since she was fourteen, and when Edward takes her hand, he sees that it's dental floss. Edward apologizes, and is amused by Vivian, who tells him that you shouldn't neglect your gums.

The next day, Edward speaks on the phone with Phil, while Vivian is taking a bubble bath in the bathroom, listening and singing to Prince on a walkman. Phil tells him that if he is to meet with the Morses, the joint owners of Morse Industries, he should go with a date, but Edward doesn't want anyone that Phil knows, so Edward persuades Vivian to spend the week with him, and after some haggling she agrees to do so for $3000. Vivian thinks that Edward is a lawyer upon meeting him, but Edward explains to Vivian that he is a corporate raider, which after learning what this is, Vivian translates into stealing a car, breaking it up and selling its parts. Then Edward tells Vivian that they are both very much alike, they both screw people for money. When Vivian tells him that he's an attractive, rich, successful guy, and that he can probably get any woman he wants for free, Edward tells her that he wants a professional, someone to be at his beck and call, a reference to the beginning of the movie, when he was on the phone with his ex-girlfriend, in New York City. Edward gives Vivian some money, and tells her to buy a cocktail dress for dinner. She calls Kit up after Edward leaves, to tell her about what's going on, and to ask her where to go shopping.

The deal also turns out to have its down sides. When Vivian goes shopping, because of her appearance, she gets snubbed at a boutique shop, where the sales associate is rude to her, and won't service her. This ruins Vivian's mood, and makes her feel ashamed. Vivian goes back to the hotel, where the hotel manager Barney Thompson (Elizondo) takes her to his office to speak with her. Barney tells her that her kind of status isn't allowed in the hotel, but that Mr. Lewis is a big client, and they turn a blind eye to things for certain clients. He then suggests to her, that while she is at the hotel, Mr. Lewis is her "uncle". He then tells her that she should also consider dressing more like a lady, but Vivian tells him that it's a problem, that she was trying to do that, and she has all this money, but no dress for a dinner because no one will service her. Barney calls in a favor at a department store, and gets Vivian a cocktail dress.

Edward (Richard Gere) and Vivian (Julia Roberts)

That night, after Barney teaches Vivian proper table manners, Edward and Vivian go to the Voltaire restaurant, where they meet the elderly James Morse and his grandson David. During the meal Vivian wins over the elderly Morse (while she's struggling with the cutlery and popping an escargot across the room), but the business discussion with Edward grows colder and colder until it reaches a point where James and David storm out of the restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, Edward goes down to the lobby and plays the piano for the cleaners until 3 AM, when Vivian comes to check on him. Politely asking the cleaners to leave the room, Edward and Vivian make love on the piano. Edward tells Vivian that he always gets what he wants.

The next day, after Vivian tells Edward about the snobs who shunned her, Edward insists on escorting her to another clothes shop, where he shows Vivian that having money can get you whatever you want. He asks to speak with the manager, Mr. Hollister (Larry Miller), upon arriving at the store, and tells Mr. Hollister that he's going to need a lot of major sucking up for Vivian because he wants to spend a ridiculous amount of money at Mr. Hollister's store. Mr. Hollister, understanding immediately, has the whole entire staff at the store, including himself, cater to Vivian's every need. After Edward leaves for a meeting, he gives Vivian his credit card, and tells Mr. Hollister that she has his credit card, so to continue with the sucking up. Vivian gets dressed up with the most beautiful and chic clothes, talks one of the male staff out of his tie "because Edward would love it", and orders a pizza to be delivered at the store while she's still shopping. On her way home, Vivian revisits the snobbish shop assistant and informs her of the huge commission she could have made had she not shunned her.

The following afternoon, during a bath together, Vivian learns a little bit more about Edward, especially about the relationship he had with his late father. Edward and Vivian go to a corporate polo match, where Vivian meets Phil and his wife Elizabeth. They also see David Morse, who turns out to also be one of the polo players. Curious to know more about Vivian, and suggesting she might be a spy for the Morses, Phil pesters Edward and forces him to reveal that Vivian is actually a prostitute he picked up on Hollywood Boulevard the night he borrowed Phil's car. Phil laughs hysterically as Edward goes to his intended goal of the day, to speak with Senator Adams about tying up Morse Industries in a lot of paperwork to delay the Morses from the time and loan that they need to keep their company alive.

Meanwhile, Phil goes and tells Vivian that Edward revealed her "secret", unintentionally hurting Vivian and making her angry at Edward for his indiscretion. This leads to a nasty fight between Edward and Vivian when they get back to the hotel, which results in Vivian packing her things, leaving the money for the deal on the bed. Edward sees the money still on the bed, and realizes that he has hurt her. While she is still waiting for the elevator, Edward follows her, apologizes sincerely and says that he wasn't prepared for questions about them, and that he didn't like her talking to David, which showed that he was jealous and that he had developed feelings for her. Vivian accepts his apology and agrees to stay. That night, as they lay in bed, she tells him about herself, and how she ended up as a prostitute. Edward tells her she can be better than that.

The next day, Edward leaves work early, and when Phil asks him where he's going, he tells him that he has plans. Phil says, "With the hooker?", which angers Edward, and he tells Phil to be careful. Edward and Vivian take a private jet to San Francisco to see the opera. Vivian wears a $250,000 necklace Edward borrowed for the occasion from a store, and a beautiful red evening gown. Vivian loves the opera even though it's in Italian. While playing chess together that night, Vivian tells Edward since he's the boss, why doesn't he take the day off tomorrow. Edward takes the day off from work the next day, much to Phil's annoyance and frustration, since he believes that this may interfere with business. Vivian and Edward spend the day together riding horses, walking barefooted on the grass in the park, and eating hotdogs. While riding in the limo, they pass by the Blue Banana, and Vivan wants to go inside to see if Kit is there. While Edward is waiting for Vivian, he gets confronted by Carlos and his friends, but Edward's limo driver is a huge man with a gun. When Carlos and his friends see the gun, they all back off, and Edward tells Carlos to never go near Vivian again. That night, Vivian passionately kisses Edward when he's asleep, which wakes Edward up, and they make love. She broke her rule of never kissing on the mouth, because that means it's not just work anymore. While they're lying in each other arms, she whispers that she loves him, thinking that he's asleep, but he's really awake and hears her.

On Edward and Vivian's last day together, Edward receives a phone call from Phil, who tells him that the Morses have surrendered and decided to give up their company. During the meeting, Edward asks for a private conversation with James Morse, in which he tells Morse that he no longer wishes to take over his company, but rather help him to gain it back because it's in a very open and vulnerable state. Calling the others back inside, Edward departs and playfully asks Phil to finish the meeting.

Back at the hotel, Vivian has lunch with Kit, and she gives Kit some money to take care of her debt to Carlos and for the rent. Kit realizes that Vivian has fallen in love with Edward, and to tell her to go for it, because Edward has asked her to go back to New York with him when his business is done with the Morses. She doesn't believe that fairy tales like this would really come true for people like her, and when she asks Kit who does these things ever happen for, Kit tells her, "Cinder-fucker-ella." Later on, when Vivian is packing up her things, the doorbell rings. Vivian answers and sees that it is Phil, who has come to speak to Edward, but Edward hasn't come back yet. Phil doesn't seem to be himself, since he is trying to keep his anger and frustration bottled up inside over the lost of the big corporate deal, which would have gained a lot of money, not only for Edward, but for himself too. Vivian tells Phil that Edward isn't home, which Phil replies, that the hotel isn't home, and that she isn't the nice little lady that she wants to appear, she's a hooker. Phil sits down with Vivian, and proceeds to make sexual advances toward her. When he tries to touch her, she fights him off her; he gets more aggressive, prompting Vivian to bite his hand in an effort to defend herself. Apparently losing all sense of self-restraint, Phil slaps her, then attempts to rape Vivian. Edward arrives at the last minute and drags the completely berserk Phil to the door, where he tells Phil that the deal with the Morses is off, and to get out. When Phil insults Vivian, Edward punches him, and tells him to get out again.

After Phil leaves, and Edward is consoling Vivian, he asks her again to come with him to New York, an offer Vivian refuses because she wants the whole thing, a commitment, or nothing. Edward tells her that he's bad with relationships, but Vivian won't have it any other way. Vivian then leaves with her things after a warm goodbye. On her way out, she also meets and bids farewell to Barney Thompson.

The next day, Edward prepares to return to New York, and gives the necklace for return to the store to Barney who, while inspecting the contents of the case, remarks that it is hard to let go something so beautiful - referring to Vivian, of course. He tells her that his same limo driver had dropped off Vivian at her apartment the day before. Edward thanks him, and decides to go get Vivian. At their apartment, Vivian is saying goodbye to Kit, and she tells her that she's going to go to San Francisco, and get a job, maybe go back to school, make something out of her life. She tells Kit to take care of herself, and that she has great potentials, and not to let anyone tell her differently. She gives some money to Kit to help her out, and then Kit heads out, telling Vivian that she hates goodbyes and can't stick around. Edward stops in front of a store, where Kit and another hooker is standing, to buy Vivian a bouquet. Kit is telling the other woman, who is going to be her new roommate, that she has to charge her more than Vivian, because she won't be home a lot, she's looking into starting her own beauty parlor, because you can't do tricks for the rest of your life, you have to have a goal. When Kit asks her if she has any goals, the woman says she's always wanted to be an ice skater. When Edward gets to Vivian's apartment, Vivian hears the honking of the limo, and she goes to the window, where Edward is shouting out her name. Even though he's afraid of heights, he climbs the fire escape to her floor, handing her the bouquet of roses, Edward takes Vivian in his arms and asks her what happens after the prince rescues her, and she says, "she rescues him right back" (referring to a story that she told him that she use to make up to herself when she was a little girl), and they kiss each other warmly.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Overview

Pretty Woman is the highest-grossing film of the romantic comedy genre, and possibly the most well-known. Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company, did not have high regard for the synopsis and is quoted saying "If I have to say yes to this movie because we need a movie, then fine" and "But his movie is going to be a bomb. It's a failure before I've even seen it." Pretty Woman would eventually gross $463 million worldwide and was at the time Disney's most successful live-action film ever by far.".^[1]Set in Hollywood during the early 1990s, its themes include the tension between romantic love and social class: the main characters represent utter opposites in social class and wealth, while both work in occupations considered indecent by mainstream society, and yet are given sympathetic depiction. The film can be seen as a modern adaptation of the Pygmalion myth, and 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 that insisted it should be re-written as a modern-day fairy tale, instead of being the dark story it was in the original script called "3000".^[2]

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 social graces, resulting in mild embarrassment for herself and Edward, but good-natured, cheerful, and unpretentious. In contrast to class and occupational archetypes — she's smart, kind, and perceptive. During the time spent together, Vivian learns from Edward the virtues of manners and discipline, and Edward learns from Vivian the virtues of being a better human being. 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.

[edit] Music

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.

[edit] Trivia

In the scene where Philip tries to rape Vivian, Edward was originally supposed to shout "Get out! I never want to see you again!" at Phil. This was changed to just "Get Out!", since the filmmakers thought it too harsh for Edward to fire his lawyer (and friend of ten years) over a mishap with a woman he had only known for six days.

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".

Ferrari and Porsche declined the product placement opportunity of the car Edwards 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 and now resides in Atlanta, GA with a private owner.

The necklace that Vivian tries on at one point in the film really was worth $250,000, and there was an armed security guard present on set, standing behind the director, when the scenes with it were being shot, to ensure it wouldn't be stolen. The shot of Edward presenting the necklace and Vivian's laugh was parodied by Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate in the 2002 film The Sweetest Thing.

Various rewrites of the original script portrayed Vivian as hypersexual and a heavy drug user. 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 disinterest in "pillow talk". In another, she is confronted by drug dealers outside of The Blue Banana, and rescued by Edward.

Roberts has said that the body on the movie's cover is not her own; her head was pasted on a photograph of her body double. She also claims that the double was used for shots of Vivian's body in the opening scene in which her face is not seen. However, the director's commentary track on the 10th & 15th anniversary DVDs states that these scenes did not use a body double, and that Vivian's face is not shown because the viewer is not yet supposed to know her natural hair color, so that they will be surprised later in the film when she removes her wig.

The escargot restaurant scene was filmed at the Rex, now called Cicada.

The name "Pretty Woman" was the idea of current Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after the film's producer Arnon Milchan, a close friend, was searching for a catchy title.

This movie might have been influenced in part by the movie That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day.

Meg Ryan, Daryl Hannah and Molly Ringwald turned down the role of Vivian.

The more recent 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).

Roberts and Gere would reunite in 1999's Runaway Bride.

The movie's plot is based on Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata.

Richard Gere played a male prostitute in the 1980s film American Gigolo.

Alex Hyde-White's father, Wilfrid, played Colonel Pickering in the 1964 film My Fair Lady. That film was also based on Pygmalion.

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.

[edit] Mistakes

When Vivian is having breakfast she has a croissant in her hand. When the camera cuts away and then cuts back, Vivian has a pancake in her hand instead.