Pretty Woman’s pretty good…

I feel like this doesn’t get enough credit for having a great establishing scene, a lot of 90s movies knew their place and how to structure shit in a 90min format, they weren’t forced to make movies lengthy, it was better you didn’t. So a good opening montage is important. I like Edward’s little conversation with his ex girlfriend about his secretary being one of her bridesmaids, his quick break up with the current girlfriend, the already nervy Jason Alexander tailing him, Edward chastising a lackey for not paying attention to Tokyo. Dude’s distant and unavailable, already anxious over the death of his father and needs to bail in a stickshift rather than a limo. Vivian’s poor, wakes up at night, has to avoid a landlord and deal with the irresponsible Kit. She’s in a bad neighbourhood, a colleague got whacked, and Hank Azaria doesn’t seem to realise some tourist from Orlando should know what a dead body looks like already. (Also people so often forget he voiced more than Apu on the Simpsons, but kids are only going to remember him for that).

Vivian and Edward have a good rapport, there’s obvious attraction only Vivian’s too street-smart to fall for it. And he’s not oblivious to the nature of her work but they both still labour under preconceived notions of one another. The fact he doesn’t expressly tell her to get deportment classes or fix her necessarily, there’s no bet and he cares for her. She’s mildly childlike but not entirely an ingenue. She understands manly things like cars and neckties, he’s bad with cars and scared of heights. He’s a workaholic but she has a work ethic of her own; doesn’t do drugs like Kit, flosses and takes her responsibilities seriously, she’s equip with a buffet of rubbers. They’re “professionals”. It’s cutely written, she won’t be his “beck and call” girl. 3000 bucks for a week’s work is actually good for that period. If you grew up when shit was actually cheap you don’t realise how far a dollar used to go until it doesn’t. And she’s getting a stipend for clothing too.

Hector Elizondo is much more fatherly and eventually respects Vivian, again her “deportment training” is to “help her” rather than win a bet and she asks for help, so at least it was trying to fix its source material. And Barney’s not  End of the day, the movie isn’t sex-worker positive, it’s kind of SWERFy propaganda even if Vivian charms everyone regardless, she’s a sassy little minx and Edward’s childishly smitten with her. But she’s still “worth more” than a hooker and can still “be more” like what she was doing wasn’t valid and only came about from having a povo and abusive background. She wants to change for him more than the money. You’re supposed to be distracted by Vivian’s whimsical faux pas so Edward’s acquisition/dead daddy subplot isn’t too dry. Edward at least admits to screwing people for money and Vivian’s realigning his moral compass in an nonsexual way. But he won’t chill out with her. He’s so unchill until the end. Even when he’s seducing her he’s pretty deadpan and it’s less charming, I don’t find him particularly alluring to be frank, but she’s not warmed him up, obviously. It’s one of those “sensual, sexy” but not overtly horny 90s movies, they knew how to appeal to women back then. I know there will be much better written essays on why this isn’t a feminist movie. I think they only go to a polo match to mirror My Fair Lady, but Edward’s less ashamed of her, he’s too rich and powerful to truly lose esteem from dating a hooker, Edward telling Phil this just to prove she’s not a corporate spy. I think they tried to sell this as a comedy over a drama and I think people forget it gets kind of graphic later. The fact the movie builds up to a kiss on the lips rather than sex flips the script a touch, I suppose. But she’s “too good” for this, it’s the kind of language SWERFs use with more vulnerable women they don’t see as a threat to their marriages. There’s a nice juxtaposition of their bare feet in their respective environs, Edward’s in grass, Vivian’s on the penthouse carpet, and she sits on the same steps she took her boots off on to put on her new shoes. I didn’t remember Jason Alexander straight up assaulting her. Barney’s more on her level, they’re both in subservient roles. Vivian’s all “I coulda been something” with Kit, Kit could do better too, again it’s such sappy nonsense that doesn’t fly. Only Fans girlies, don’t let this type of rhetoric dissuade you, there are smart girlies paying off their student loans with horny man money. Kit thinks she can go do beauty school. I kinda actually hate the ending a little, it’s goofy as fuck and her line is stupid.

The soundtrack’s pretty great, I had one of the songs on a compilation tape of soundtrack songs sung by uncredited no-names.