Great Movies- Pretty Woman

Thirty years ago today, a dark drama about prostition titled "3,000" dropped on unsuspecting springtime audiences who just wanted to forget their troubles and escape reality for two hours. There's always an alternate reality when it comes to our favorite films, but rarely is it as pronounced as the sliding-doors moment that accompanies every behind-the-scenes retrospective of Garry Marshalls's masterpiece. This live-action Cinderella story morphed into a blockbuster crowd-pleaser that made every woman in America want to live vicariously through Julia Roberts, and I don't think the men in their lives objected too much. I don't know if her stroll down Rodeo Drive delighted as many people as Rocky Balboa running up those museum steps, but it's close. I remember having an awareness of this movie's popularity and impact, even as a Nintendo-loving ten year old. Let's talk in detail about the genesis of the ultimate romcom.

I don't want to say that Richard Gere was in a slump when he headed for Hollywood Boulevard in the summer of '89, but his last big hit was "An Officer An a Gentleman", and subsequent releases like "The Cotton Club", "Power", and "Miles from Home" didn't do the handsome 40 year old's career any favors. Seven years is a long time, and something had to happen fast. Enter Garry Marshall, the gregarious TV legend on a big screen roll, with the cable/VHS classic combo of "Overboard" and "Beaches". Al Pacino was his first choice to play Edward Lewis, the NY corporate raider with a soft spot for eager call girls. The "Scarface" star considered it, then did "Dick Tracy" instead(a year later, Al would make it up to Marshall with "Frankie and Johnny"). Christopher Reeve badly wanted the part, but as much as we love Superman, Gere was perfectly cast, as the inverse of Julian Kay in "American Gigolo".

'The King of Wishful Thinking' by British pop group 'Go West' nicely set the jubilant tone that Marshall was after, when he decided not to be 100% faithful to J.F. Lawton's script(more on that later). Vivian Ward's washboard stomach may have belonged to body double Shelley Michelle(she's also on the poster), but this happy hooker couldn't have been played by anyone other than Julia Roberts. Thank the movie gods that Molly Ringwald wasn't comfortable playing a prostitute. The smiling 21 year old star of "Mystic Pizza" and the soon-to-be-released "Steel Magnolias" delighted Marshall during a lengthy audition process, narrowly beating out perennial bridesmaid Diane Lane.

This movie wouldn't get made today. Twitter would never let Disney hear the end of it for producing a light-hearted fairy tale about the world's oldest profession. Vivian isn't a tortured soul, she's just a hot girl that doesn't want to wait tables. She's independent, she's having fun. Needless to say, life was a lot simpler in 1990. Would you give up 21st Century technology to NOT have to hear how problematic everything is? It seems like a fair trade.

Color me happy, you're going to hear a lot of love for Julia Roberts on this blog. She's beautiful, she's magnetic, she's energetic. It's thrilling to watch a young talent come to the forefront the way she does at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel(their penthouse suite was a studio set). Marshall rightly instructed Gere that his role was reactive, and his lack of ego about it really allowed her to shine in the first 30 minutes. Roberts really owned that room with her strawberries and "I Love Lucy" carpet party, and would subsequently own the '90s, with seven(non-franchise) films earning over a $100 million in the U.S. That won't ever happen again.

We have to talk about the supporting players, because a movie is never just about the main stars. Jason Alexander has talked about the fact that he wasn't wanted by Garry Marshall after his first audition. He was too short, too young(he was 29 at the time!), and just didn't fit what the director had in his mind for loathsome lawyer Philip Stuckey. Fortunately, a deal couldn't be made with anyone else, and with a production deadline fast approaching, Alexander got to be the villain in the fourth biggest movie of the year. Jason believes than a key endorsement from Marshall's people may have also gotten him "Seinfeld" that very same summer. Laura San Giacomo broke out in Steve Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies and Videotape" six months earlier, and steals her scenes as sassy sidekick Kit De Luca("Cinder-fuckin'-rella"). No small feat.

Is there room for one more in there? Edward interrupts a Prince song with a proposition. He needs a professional. After some playful negotiating, he gets Vivian for six days for $3,000. What a bargain. The only problem is, will he ever be able to let her go? I know I wouldn't.

Shopping is supposed to be fun. Vivian is having a good day, until she encounters some Beverly Hills elitism. Every dress she wants is "very expensive". She's obviously in the wrong place. Vivian's hooker garb gets her ejected from an upscale dress shop in a memorable scene that still resonates with anyone that's ever been instantly judged or made to feel like they don't belong. But this uptight bitch(Dey Young) work on commission, leading to a classic comeuppance.

Here's Hector Elizondo, the hotel manager and Vivian's unlikely ally. The tenured character actor has appeared in EVERY Garry Marshall movie, including the ones he didn't really want to be in. He definitely wanted to be in "Pretty Woman", because the quietly-kind-hearted Barney is arguably his best role, with all due respect to his TV work on "Chicago Hope" and "Last Man Standing". Our heroine has proper restaurant etiquette and a cocktail dress, courtesy of the cool concierge.

Edward takes his now-elegant escort to a business dinner with Ralph Bellamy, a recognizable, veteran actor whose career began in 1931. This was his final performance, and it's really cool that he got to go out in a film that the whole world saw.

There was a lot of improvisation on this set. Marshall really let his actors play and got some great stuff. This film wouldn't be half of what it is with rigid stars, total adherence to the script, and let's be honest, intimacy coordinators. That should be a lesson to future filmmakers. Edward opens up about the dead father he didn't talk to for fourteen years. There's a real relationship forming here.

Richard Gere can really play the piano.

We're going to need a lot more sucking up from Larry Miller. This movie has a good amount of 'That Guys'(shoutout to detective Hank Azaria, Addul "What's Your Dream?" Salaam El Razzac, and Amy Yasbeck). This is where we get to hear Roy Orbison's feel-good 1964 hit "Pretty Woman", which officially became the film's title in January 1990, well after production wrapped.

Vivian is enjoying her first polo game in polka dots...that is until she is crudely propositioned by Stuckey who knows her secret. She's not a corporate spy, she's a hooker, and this is the first time she's felt like one since entering Edward's Lotus. This leads to a nice dramatic exchange where an earnest Gere shows men how to apologize, but it probably sounds a lot better coming from him. Vivian considered leaving without the money, dispelling the notion that she's merely an employee.

Julia's reaction was genuine when Gere slapped the lid on that jewelry case, in an unforgettable moment that wasn't on the page but has been seen endlessly in every commercial that's ever aired for this film, furthering it's reputation as a fun time at the movies. Vivian is whisked off to the San Francisco Opera where she has an emotional reaction to "La Traviata". She later reveals that she became a hooker by accident, and that the bad stuff people say about you is easier to believe. You ever notice that? Great line.

We have to talk about "3,000". We'll never know if Marshall ever really intended to make a gritty film set partly in L.A.'s underworld. We do know that producer Laura Ziskin suggested that the script's seamier elements should be toned down or removed completely(translation- no cocaine or heroin). That genius Jeffrey Katzenberg, then a Walt Disney Studios whiz, recommended a happy ending(a heartbroken Vivian was thrown out of Edward's limo in the ambiguous downer that Lea Thompson and Jennifer Jason Leigh read). Three days after Julia was cast, this became a different movie, a better one. Gere says he never got to read the "nasty" version of his character. For the record, J.F. Lawton had no objection to the rewrites and is happy to have his name associated with the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the '90s.

Stuckey becomes a straight-up villain with a rape attempt, an awful way to end a magical week. If it makes you feel better, Jason Alexander got a lot of hate from women in the years after. Edward throws Stuckey out of his hotel room AND out of his life. No more cold-hearted business deals. This scene adds some dramatic weight and urgency and deepens Edward's desire to protect Vivian. With the third act being reimagined on the spot, it was the right call by Marshall.

It must have been love. Is it over now? This movie has a great soundtrack, and Roxette's 1987 power ballad is more proof of that. Songs have to be chosen and placed carefully in a film, and can really enhance the emotional experience when done so. Edward offers Vivian what would have been a good deal a week ago- a condo, an allowance, and a couple of visits a year. She wants the fairy tale(another Julia improvisation).

Vivian isn't the only one who needed rescuing on that balcony. Edward's empty life needed to be filled with more than just stuffy dinner parties and hostile takeovers. Happy endings don't happen much in real life, and neither does unabashed romance, if we're being perfectly honest. That's why we need this sexy fairy tale, and I interpret 1999's spiritual sequel "Runaway Bride" as confirmation that their love lasted. The Roberts/Gere/Marshall dynamic made that movie a major hit, too.

I really believe that this movie has replaced "Breakfast at Tiffany's" as the most cherished romcom in the world. With all due respect to Audrey Hepburn(who appears briefly in a TV clip from "Charade"), I don't know how many young people are going back to 1961 for their weeknight entertainment. It's been thirty years, the same amount of time that separates the two films, and Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are winning over a new generation of women that weren't even alive in 1990. But I don't want to limit the film's audience here with gender stereotypes- a macho male coworker once admitted to me that he's seen it multiple times. You just don't get that too often with this genre. I'll let Richard Gere have the last word, as he summed up the appeal in a recent interview- "That film is about love, and trust, and acceptance. We're all looking for that- doesn't matter who you are". "Pretty Woman" is one of the world's greatest films.

R.I.P. Max von Sydow 1929-2020

The world was saddened to learn of the death of Max von Sydow today at age 90. The Swedish acting legend had a 70-year career in film, television, and theatre, first gaining international recognition in director Ingmar Bergman's 1957 classic "The Seventh Seal". The 6'4" Sydow would star in ten more Bergman films, before moving on to perhaps his most enduring and cherished role, as Christ-compelling priest Father Merrin in 1973's "The Exorcist". Max's booming voice and quiet authority was found in many popular movies over the next four decades- "Three Days of the Condor", "Victory", "Conan the Barbarian", "Never Say Never Again", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Ghostbusters II", "Awakenings", "Minority Report", "Shutter Island", and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". He received Academy Award nominations for 1987's "Pelle the Conqueror" and 2011's "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". His talent and class will be sorely missed.

Complete filmography- "Only a Mother"(1949), "Miss Julie"(1951), "No Man's Woman"(1953), "Ratten att alska"(1956), "The Seventh Seal"(1957), "The Minister of Uddarbo"(1957), "Wild Strawberries"(1957), "Brink of Life"(1958), "The Magician"(1958), "The Virgin Spring"(1960), "The Wedding Day"(1960), "Through a Glass Darkly"(1961), "Adventures of Nils Holgersson"(1962), "The Mistress"(1962), "Winter Light"(1963), "4x4"(1965), "The Greatest Story Ever Told"(1965), "The Reward"(1965), "Hawaii"(1966), "The Quiller Memorandum"(1966), "Here's Your Life"(1966), "Hour of the Wolf"(1968), "Shame"(1968), "Made in Sweden"(1969), "The Passion of Anna"(1969), "The Kremlin Letter"(1970), "The Night Visitor"(1971), "The Emigrants"(1971), "The Touch"(1971), "The Apple War"(1971), "Embassy"(1972), "The New Land"(1972), "The Exorcist"(1973), "Steppenwolf"(1974), "Egg! Egg! A Hardboiled Story"(1975), Three Days of the Condor"(1975), "The Ultimate Warrior"(1975), "Dog's Heart"(1976), "Illustrious Corpses"(1976), "Foxtrot"(1976), "The Desert of the Tartars"(1976) "Voyage of the Damned"(1976), "Exorcist II: The Heretic"(1977), "March or Die"(1977), "Black Journal"(1977), "Brass Target"(1978), "Hurricane"(1979), "Death Watch"(1980), "Flash Gordon"(1980), "Victory"(1981), "Conan the Barbarian"(1982), "Flight of the Eagle"(1982), "Strange Brew"(1983), "Never Say Never Again"(1983), "Dreamscape"(1984), "Dune"(1984), "Code Name: Emerald"(1985), "The Repenter"(1985), "Hannah and Her Sisters"(1986), "The Second Victory"(1986), "The Wolf at the Door"(1986), "Duet for One"(1986), "Pelle the Conqueror"(1987), "Katinka"(1988)-director, "Ghostbusters II"(1989)-voice role, "The Bachelor"(1990), "A Violent Life"(1990), "Father"(1990), "Awakenings"(1990), "A Kiss Before Dying"(1991), "Europa"(1991), "Until the End of the World"(1991), "The Ox"(1991), "The Best Intentions"(1991), "Grandpa's Journey"(1993), "Needful Things"(1993), "Judge Dredd"(1995), "Hamsun"(1996), "Jerusalem"(1996), "Hercules"(1997)-voice role, "What Dreams May Come"(1998), "Snow Falling On Cedars"(1999), "Sleepless"(2001), "Druids"(2001), "Intacto"(2001), Minority Report"(2002), "Heidi"(2005), "The Inquiry"(2006), "Rush Hour 3"(2007), "Emotional Arithmetic"(2007), "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"(2007), "Solomon Kane"(2009), "A Man and His Dog"(2009), "Shutter Island"(2010), "The Wolfman"(2010), "Robin Hood"(2010), "Moomins and the Comet Chase"(2010), "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"(2011), "Branded"(2012), "Dragons 3D"(2013), "The Letters"(2015), "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"(2015), "The First, the Last"(2016), "Kursk"(2018), "Echoes of the Past"(2021)

The 100 Biggest Hits of the 2010s

Wait a minute, when did Disney take over the movie business? Walt's grandchildren and great-grandchildren are surely pleased with the American public's viewing habits. George Lucas' decision to sell his "Star Wars" empire to the biggest entertainment company on Earth has been a financial windfall for all involved, while Marvel and Pixar pulverize nearly everything in their path. Only GGI dinosaurs dripped in nostalgia can compete with all that. Box office results let us know who the winners are, where we've been, and where we're going. Enjoy my list of the hundred highest grossing films from 2010-2019.

1. "Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens"(2015)……………….$936 million
2. "Avengers: Endgame"(2019)………………………………………………$858 million
3. "Black Panther"(2018)…………………………………………………….$700 million
4. "Avengers: Infinity War"(2018)…………………………………………..$678 million
5. "Jurassic World"(2015)…………………………………………………….$652 million
6. "The Avengers"(2012)………………………………………………………$623 million
7. "Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi"(2017)…………  …………….$620 million
8. "Incredibles 2"(2018)……………………………………………………….$608 million
9. "The Lion King"(2019)……………………………………………………..$543 million
10. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"(2016)…………………………………$532 million
11. "Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker"(2019)……………….$514 million
12. "Beauty and the Beast"(2017)…………………………………………….$504 million
13. "Finding Dory"(2016)……………………………………………………..$486 million
14. "Frozen II"(2019)………………………………………………………….$477 million
15. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"(2015)………………………………………...$459 million
16. "The Dark Knight Rises"(2012).............................................................$448 million
17. "Toy Story 4"(2019)................................................................................$434 million
18. "Captain Marvel"(2019)...........................................................................$426 million
19. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"(2013)..........................................$424 million
20. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"(2018).............................................$417 million
21. "Toy Story 3"(2010)…………………………………………………….$415 million
22. "Wonder Woman"(2017)………………………………………………$412 million
23. "Iron Man 3"(2013)…………………………………………………….$409 million
24. "Captain America: Civil War"(2016)………………………………$408 million
25. "The Hunger Games"(2012)………………………………………$408 million
26. "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle"(2017)…………………$404 million
27. "Frozen"(2013)……………………………………………$400 million
28. "Spider-Man: Far From Home"(2019)………………….$390 million
29. "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2"(2017)……………….$389 million
30. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"(2011)….$381 million
31. "The Secret Life of Pets"(2016)…………………………$368 million
32. "Despicable Me 2"(2013)…………………………………$368 million
33. "The Jungle Book"(2016)………………………………..$364 million
34. "Deadpool"(2016)………………………………………$363 million
35. "Inside Out"(2015)……………………………………..$356 million
36. "Aladdin"(2019)………………………………………..$355 million
37. "Furious 7"(2015)………………………………………$353 million
38. "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon"(2011)…….$352 million
39. "American Sniper"(2014)…………………………….$350 million
40. "Zootopia"(2016)……………………………………..$341 million
41. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I"(2014)…..$337 million
42. "Minions"(2015)………………………………………$336 million
43. "Joker"(2019)…………………………………………$335 million
44. "Aquaman"(2018)…………………………………….$335 million
45. "Spider-Man: Homecoming"(2017)…………………$334 million
46. "Alice in Wonderland"(2010)……………………….$334 million
47. "Guardians of the Galaxy"(2014)…………………..$333 million
48. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"(2016)…..$330 million
49. "It"(2017)……………………………………………$328 million
50. "Suicide Squad"(2016)……………………………..$325 million
51. "Deadpool 2"(2018)………………………………..$324 million
52. "Thor: Ragnarok"(2017)………………………….$315 million
53. "Jumanji: The Next Level"(2019)………………..$314 million
54. "Iron Man 2"(2010)……………………………….$312 million
55. "Skyfall"(2012)……………………………………$304 million
56. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"(2012)….$303 million
57. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"(2010)……………$300 million
58. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I"(2010)…$296 million
59. "Inception"(2010)……………………………….$292 million
60. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2"(2012)…$292 million
61. "Man of Steel"(2013)……………………………$291 million
62. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part II"(2015)…$281 million
63. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I"(2011)…$281 million
64. "Gravity"(2013)………………………………….$274 million
65. "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch"(2018)………………….$270 million
66. "Sing"(2016)………………………………………$270 million
67. "Monsters University"(2013)…………………….$268 million
68. "Despicable Me 3"(2017)…………………………$264 million
69. "The Amazing Spider-Man"(2012)………………$262 million
70. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"(2014)….$259 million
71. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"(2013)….$258 million
72. "The Lego Movie"(2014)…………………………..$257 million
73. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"(2014)..$255 million
74. "Despicable Me"(2010)………………………………$251 million
75. "Moana"(2016)…………………………………….$248 million
76. "Transformers: Age of Extinction"(2014)………..$245 million
77. "Maleficent"(2014)…………………………………$241 million
78. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"(2011)…$241 million
79. "Shrek Forever After"(2010)………………………$238 million
80. "Fast & Furious 6"(2013)…………………………..$238 million
81. "Brave"(2012)……………………………………….$237 million
82. "Oz the Great and Powerful"(2013)……………….$234 million
83. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"(2016)…$234 million
84. "X-Men: Days of Future Past"(2014)……………..$234 million
85. "Doctor Strange"(2016)…………………………….$232 million
86. "Justice League"(2017)……………………………..$229 million
87. "Star Trek Into Darkness"(2013)………………….$228 million
88. "The Martian"(2015)……………………………….$228 million
89. "Logan"(2017)………………………………………$226 million
90. "The Fate of the Furious"(2017)…………………..$226 million
91. "Big Hero 6"(2014)…………………………………$222 million
92. "Mission Impossible- Fallout"(2018)……………..$220 million
93. "Ted"(2012)………………………………………..$218 million
94. "How to Train Your Dragon"(2010)…………….$217 million
95. "Ant-Man and the Wasp"(2018)…………………$216 million
96. "Bohemian Rhapsody"(2018)…………………….$216 million
97. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"(2012)…$216 million
98. "A Star Is Born"(2018)…………………………..$215 million
99. "The Lorax"(2012)……………………………….$214 million
100. Solo: A Star Wars Story"(2018)………………..$213 million