‎Pretty Woman (1990) directed by Garry Marshall • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Pretty Woman

1990 Directed by Garry Marshall

Who knew it was so much fun to be a hooker?

When a millionaire wheeler-dealer enters a business contract with a Hollywood hooker Vivian Ward, he loses his heart in the bargain.

Julia Roberts Richard Gere Ralph Bellamy Jason Alexander Héctor Elizondo Larry Miller Laura San Giacomo Alex Hyde-White Elinor Donahue Amy Yasbeck Judith Baldwin Hank Azaria John David Carson Michael French Allan Kent Stacy Keach, Sr. Scott Marshall

119 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Sally Jane Black ½ 3

I don't know why I am revisiting so many films I watched as a kid. I've just not been in the mood for anything but revisiting random garbage. I've not been like this in a long, long time, and part of that has to be the fact that I am much, much, much more active now offline. Join an org, kids. Fight back. It's worth it.

This one is one that has a very different impact now. The sexism wasn't always apparent, but I've been aware of it for a while. The treatment of sex workers in this narrative is dehumanizing and patronizing. The misogynist fairytale of being saved by a hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold is flipped a little by having the mutual…
Review by dani 🍬 ★★★★

where's my sugar daddy
Review by Dragonknight ★★ 4

Film #9 of Project 90

”I’m a safety girl.”

A hooker and a Gentleman. Ah, what a lovely story! World is such a beautiful and romantic place guys, I’m so happy now!

I’m not a fan of romantic comedies, personally I don’t think that the world we’re leaving in is as funny and as romantic as what these films portray, of course movies aren't supposed to be totally realistic all the time, dreaming is an essential part of cinema but there is a big difference between imagination and ignorance. Rom-coms like Pretty Woman pay no attention to the indisputable facts and instead give us a deformed and silly dream. In Pretty Woman Garry Marshall and co. are actually theorizing this…
Review by Lagerlout ★★½ 5

Ah, the 90s.

Would a film like Pretty Woman be made in 2014? I hope not. I hope there would be enough women like myself who object to this kind of capitalist glorification and female objectification. While the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is strong, the story just doesn't sit right with me.

What are we trying to tell young girls, many of which have watched this at a young age if any of the reviews on Letterboxd are anything to go by? The message is; follow the bad boy to the big city and when he turns out to be a bum, like we told you he would, vaguely attempt a job instead of maybe returning to…
Review by TajLV ★★★★½ 1

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Part of My Autumn Rewatches Challenge
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Task #13: Revisit a film tagged RomCom on Letterboxd.

This was the first film I ever saw starring Julia Roberts. She plays the L.A. streetwalker Vivian Ward and ... yeah ... I fell in love, lust and fandom at first sight. For a long time this was my favorite "hooker with a heart of gold" movie, replacing "Irma la Douce" (1963) and "Never on Sunday" (1960).

In the early 90s, at age 40, my life was a bit like Richard Gere's character Edward Lewis. I wasn't a corporate raider, but I had money. Lots of money. I traveled. I owned a tuxedo. I had "opportunities." And truth be told, there was a…
Review by rikki :) ★★★★

i’m gonna treat you so nice, you’re never gonna let me go.

Recent reviews

Review by Joe Barden ★½

I had seen bits of pieces of this over the years, but tonight was the first time I watched the whole thing uncut. I found absolutely nothing about this to be either funny or romantic; not great qualities for a romantic comedy. The narrative is meandering and often directionless, it's overly long and needs a good 20-30 minutes cut, there's a lot of sex worker shaming, and Richard Gere's character has no arc whatsoever. But it launched Julia Roberts into stardom, so yay?
Review by crymearvr ★★★½

hot sugar daddy’s don’t exist these days
Review by Braden ★★★★

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie considering I don’t usually like Julia Roberts. But she and Richard Gere were incredibly endearing together and I can’t explain it.
Review by Michael Roberts ★★★½

it’s so bizarre to watch such an iconic film entirely isolated from the fanfare of it all. but anyway, Julia really makes it. when the script falters or is *problematic* she shines above it all. Oscar nomination well deserved 💕💕
Review by Cadence Alvarez ½

A vile little film about a capitalist monster, a ditzy, shallow woman, and their Meet Cute.

About the only thing that makes this movie different from any other is that Roberts' character is a sex worker, apparently written without research. I guess this was supposed to make the movie "controversial."

Basically it's a standard rom-com, hitting all the notes in sequences, adding nothing to the genre and wasting the viewer's time.
Review by Montse ★★★

The story is a little bit impossible, but that's the point of making movies isn't it?
Still, the story is so great and fast and I really enjoyed watching it. We all love a scene with a make over, specially when she is treated so bad in the store just because how she dress (garbage people)
But yeah, it's the same plot of a rom com with the twist of the fact that she is a hooker, so, it's not the best one, although everyone seems to love the movie, everyone agrees in the fact that is a little bit slow.
Idk, I liked but it wouldn't be my first choice
Review by amy ★★½

this movie is bizarre... how come no one ever talks about how bizarre this movie is.... its so Dark
Review by lucinda h. ★★★★★

my friend: why do you like this movie so much
me, thinking about that scene where julia roberts comes to breakfast in a white robe with her curls all over the place: ...idk
Review by brerediddy ★★★★½

big mistake. huge!

i rewatched this for the first time in a few years and loved it just as much as i used to. in retrospect, i think vivian is the reason i like girls with big curly hair.