Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 2 ratings
While on a business trip in Los Angeles, Edward Lewis, a millionaire entrepreneur who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a prostitute, Vivian, while asking for directions; after, Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend to accompany him to a few social events, and the two get closer only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds.
Pretty Woman is a charming, crowd-pleasing romantic comedy elevated almost entirely by its two leads. Julia Roberts delivers a luminous, star-making performance and Richard Gere brings effortless sophistication — the chemistry between them is the film's undeniable engine and earns a well-above-average acting score. The plot is a fairly transparent Cinderella/Pygmalion retread with little narrative surprise, glossing over the social realities of its premise in favor of fantasy wish-fulfillment, landing it below average for plot. Cinematography is competent and warm but unremarkable for the genre. Novelty is low — the fairy-tale-prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold formula was already well-worn, and the film follows it faithfully without a distinctive directorial voice. The ending delivers the expected feel-good payoff audiences came for, executed with genuine warmth if not much originality.