Pretty Woman’s gifts to pop culture
Twenty- five years before Lily James shoehorned herself into a princess gown to play Cinderella, another up- and- comer donned a differently problematic dress for a romantic fairy tale that also struck box office gold. That movie was Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts played the streetwalking Cinderella in a now immortal bikini- dress hybrid that only barely covered her nether regions. But t he character ’s obl i ques- bari ng g et - up a nd streetwise attitude landed her a weeklong “date,” if you will, with a Prince Charming in the form of a corporate shark played by Richard Gere.
The movie’s tagline: “She walked off the street, into his life and stole his heart.” Awwww.
Silly endings aside, Pretty Woman is delightful, and that’s thanks, almost entirely, to Roberts. But she is just one of the gifts the movie bestowed on out culture. Here are some others, in no particular order.
1. Julia Roberts and her milewide smile
Roberts wasn’t a complete nobody when she snagged the role of Vivian the Hollywood hooker. She had made an impression as an impetuous waitress in the small but beloved Mystic Pizza; when Pretty Woman opened, she was headed to the Oscars with her first nomination in the tear- jerking supporting role of Sally Field’s diabetic daughter in Steel Magnolias.
But, at 22, she hadn’t yet headlined a movie and she certainly hadn’t flexed her comedic muscles the way she did in Pretty Woman. With her gangly frame and explosive laugh, she blended a wideeyed earnestness with a knack for physical comedy.
Roberts earned her second Oscar nomination — and second Golden Globe win — for playing Vivian.
2. A brief but glorious golden era of chick flicks
In 1990, Pretty Woman raked in $ 463,406,268 ( US) globally, or more than $ 828 million in today’s terms — the most successful American romantic comedy in history. Its domestic total ($ 178 million) made it the fourth biggest money- maker that year, behind Home Alone, Ghost and Dances With Wolves.
Pretty Woman was on the front end of a chick flick resurgence that spawned many a rom- com deluxe. Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson and, of course, Roberts stayed very busy during this period, and while the movies weren’t all winners many were very sweet, extremely funny and still entertaining years later. Even Seth Rogen’s college kid character in Undeclared loved You’ve Got Mail.
There was even a second chance for Roberts and Gere to meet- cute in Runaway Bride. But in the last few years, romantic comedies, not to mention women’s movies in general, have been few and far between. Of course, when they appear, they tend to be successful. Speaking of which ...
3. Fifty Shades of Grey Look, I know Fifty Shades is sup- posed to be Twilight fan fiction, but the similarities between the erotic tale and Pretty Woman are striking. In both stories, a man and woman are united by a contract; the man tries to transform the woman by bringing her into his world, while the woman sets about softening the sharp edges of the cold- hearted millionaire. He lavishes her with gifts, including fancy clothes, nice meals, rides on private planes and/ or helicopters. Sexy baths ensue, but it’s not enough. She leaves because she wants more than what he has to offer. Except — spoiler! — he ultimately wins her over. Coincidence?
4. Fashion There is plenty of conspicuous consumption in Pretty Woman. When Edward hands over his credit card to a boutique manager with the promise of spending an “obscene amount of money” on Vivian, the audience is supposed to swoon. We’re about to go shopping.
It’s kind of gross, really, with the shop’s staff fawning over Vivian, but regardless of how you feel about the scene or the dressing room montage that follows, the fashion world took notice of Vivian’s looks both before and after her makeover. In 1991, Versace’s runway was filled with thighhigh boots and short dresses. And polka- dots and hats sprouted up everywhere.
5. The line we’re still hoping to use one day on a snippy boutique employee:
“You work on commission, right? Big mistake. Big. Huge!”