Pretty Woman

A question I am asked ever so often is to name my favourite Hollywood Flick. I think and rethink and give myself time to be sure if my choice has changed, but, no Sir, the answers, is still “Pretty Woman”. I have innumerable favourites, but Pretty Woman tops the charts unbeatably. I love Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in this movie, they seemed so made for each other. Now I am no movie critic, I am a just innocent audience who loves that old times “Feel Good Factor” movies.

Each time I am surfing channels, I will stop as soon as I see Pretty Woman playing. It is my most loved simply for the fact that it has a perfect fairytale happy ending. Sad ending stays with us longer, I agree, but happy endings let us leave with a satisfied smile on our lips and contentment in our hearts. Now, who can deny the “Style” quotient in the movie? It oozes style and class, yes, even when Julia plays a hooker from Hollywood Boulevard. Her clumsiness throughout the movie lets us see behind that short skirt she wears and gives a real insight into her pure and innocent heart. Call me old school but I love such double shaded characters, the one that is black or white, Grey isn’t my colour, well, not most of the time.

While he was the cut throat money-minded person, she was money minded too, but with a heart that was too eager, yet, too scared to Love. There were beautiful comic moments, thanks to Julia, and her pretty smile. I thought Vivian and Richard could be just another Cinderella and Prince Charming, a more adult version, Lol.

My favourite scene? Of course the Opera scene, she looked like a stunning red rose in that dress and that Necklace, OH BOY! Any woman will lose her heart to the necklace, and any man will lose her heart to the one wearing it. Plus, Gere was so suave and polished in his ways, never laughing, always smiling earnestly. My another most loved scenes is where they haggle for money and settle on $3,000. I was taken when she says “I would have stayed for 2” and he says “I would have paid 4”. I am a die hard hopeless romantic and for me, it was a commitment made by sheer need of each other, he is ready to go that extra mile for her, while she is ready to come down for him.

Being a woman, I can’t wrap this review without mentioning the awesome shopping spree she goes on. I mean they showed every woman’s fantasy right there, her man giving her his credit card and telling her to go mad with it. Lol. And the overkill was when he tells her “Just one dress ?” It’s a woman’s dream that men would tell her, “you need to buy more, go shopping”.

It was an amusing and curious journey made by Vivian that took us all by storm. From the BellBoy to Concierge, all were smitten by the oddball couple. The cherry on the cake is the music. Especially “Oh pretty woman” and “It must have been love”, these two were absolute show stealers. Kudos to director Garry Marshall for giving us a gem of a movie.

PS: I am already looking forward to watching it one more time. 🙂