Pretty Woman

What can you say about a film that took in 85 million at the boxoffice? Nothing that will make any difference, that's for sure. Cultural anthropologists may one day look at this film and try to picture American society circa 1990. Hollywood loves the Pygmalion legend, but this time out instead of the Cockney girl and the crusty professor of My Fair Lady, we have a hooker and a corporate raider. Vivian (Julia Roberts) and Edward (Richard Gere) shack up for a week, at the end of which, they are both caring, loving, warm human beings. It's not even remotely believable, but the scriptwriters have done such a meticulously formulaic job that this horsepill slides down the gullet with very little resistance. Much of the credit has to go to Roberts' winsome performance--you very quickly forget what she's playing. From opening frame to final fade, Pretty Woman is, first and foremost, a crowdpleaser. Popular and popularly priced, this is recommended for public libraries. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--July 12, 2005--Touchstone, 125 min., R, $19.99--Making its third appearance on DVD, 1990's Pretty Woman: 15th Anniversary Special Edition sports a nice transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include audio commentary by director Garry Marshall, an 'L.A.: The Pretty Woman Tour' with Marshall describing the locations (10 min.), the 'Wild Women Do' music video by Natalie Cole (5 min.), a vintage production featurette (4 min.), a four-minute segment from the wrap party (4 min.), three minutes of bloopers, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a perennial contemporary favorite.] [Blu-ray Review—Feb. 19, 2009—Touchstone, 120 min., R, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's Pretty Woman boasts a solid transfer and a 5.1 Uncompressed soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director Garry Marshall, an 'L.A.: The Pretty Woman Tour' with Marshall describing the locations (10 min.), the 'Wild Women Do' music video by Natalie Cole (5 min.), a vintage production featurette (4 min.), a four-minute segment from the wrap party (4 min.), three minutes of bloopers, and trailers. Bottom line: this perennially popular comedy makes a fine debut in Blu.]