'Pretty Woman' (1990)

R | March 23, 1990 | 119 mins

She walked off the street, into his life and stole his heart.

While on a business trip in Los Angeles, Edward Lewis, a millionaire entrepreneur who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a prostitute, Vivian, while asking for directions; after, Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend to accompany him to a few social events, and the two get closer only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds.

Cast: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts [+]
Director: Garry Marshall
Writers: J.F. Lawton
Producers: Gary W. Goldstein, Arnon Milchan
Steven Reuther, Walter von Huene, Laura Ziskin
Cinematographer: Charles Minsky
Editors: Raja Gosnell, Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Production Company: Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, Regency International Pictures

► The Rom Com Catalog Review | Pretty Woman: The Musical Review

Name

Character

Edward

Vivian

James

Philip

Kit

Barnard

David

Elizabeth

Release Date

March 23, 1990

Runtime

119 minutes

Distribution

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

MPAA Rating

Language

English

Country

United States

Filming Dates

July 24, 1989 – November 30, 1989

Filming Locations

Location

Address

Film Relevance

Las Palmas Hotel

1738 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Vivian and Kit’s apartment.

Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel

9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, California

Edward’s hotel.

El Paseo de los Pobladores de Los Angeles

N. Hill St., Los Angeles, California

Ambassador Hotel

3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Barnard teaches Vivian dinner etiquette.

Boulmiche Boutique

9501 Santa Monica Blvd & Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California

Part of Vivian’s shopping spree.

Walk of Fame

6541 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California

Where Edward asks Vivian for directions.

Cicada Restaurant and Lounge

617 S Olive St, Los Angeles, California

Edward and Vivian’s dinner with Jim Morse.

Carnegie Music Hall

4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Exterior of the opera house.

Natural History Museum

900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, California

Partial interior of the opera house.

Los Angeles Equestrian Center

480 West Riverside Drive, Burbank, California

Polo match.

The Biltmore Hotel

506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California

The bar scene.

Private Residence

648 Sarbonne Rd., Los Angeles, California

Edward attends a party.

Walt Disney Studios

500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California

Interior shots.

Edward: You can’t charge me for directions.
Vivian: I can do anything I want to, baby. I ain’t lost.

Vivian: I would have stayed for two thousand.
Edward: I would have paid four.

Vivian: You’re late.
Edward: You’re stunning.
Vivian: You’re forgiven.

Marie: May I help you?
Vivian: No, thank you. [greeting the next saleswoman:]Vivian: Hi.
Snobby Saleswoman: Hello.
Vivian: Do you remember me?
Snobby Saleswoman: No, I’m sorry.
Vivian: I was in here yesterday. You wouldn’t wait on me.
Snobby Saleswoman: Oh.
Vivian: You work on commission, right?
Snobby Saleswoman: Ah, yes.
Vivian: Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.

Barnard: It must be difficult to let go of something so beautiful.

Old Lady at Opera: Did you enjoy the opera, dear?
Vivian: Oh, it was so good, I almost peed my pants!
Old Lady at Opera: What?
Edward: She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance.

Vivian: I want the fairy tale.

Edward: I told you not to pick up the phone.
Vivian: Then stop calling me.

Edward: So what happened after he climbed up the tower and rescued her?
Vivian: She rescues him right back.

Vivian: Bridge? He’s not really my uncle.
Bridget: They never are, dear.

Happy Man: Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don’t; but keep on dreamin’ – this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin’.

Edward: People’s reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don’t, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul.

Gretchen: Edward‘s our most eligible bachelor, everybody is trying to land him.
Vivian: Well, I’m not trying to land him. I’m just using him for sex.

Edward: You and I are such similar creatures, Vivian. We both screw people for money.

Kit: You clean up real nice. You sure don’t fit in down on the Boulevard lookin’ like you do, not that you ever did.
Vivian: Well, thanks, but it’s easy to clean up when you got money.
Kit: You definitely like him. Well, he’s not a bum. He’s a rich, classy guy.
Vivian: Who’s gonna break my heart, right?
Kit: Oh, no, come on, you don’t know that. Hey, he asked you right? Maybe you guys could, like, um… you know, get a house together and, like, buy some diamonds and a horse. I don’t know.

Vivian: These people your friends?
Edward: I spend time with them, yeah.
Vivian: Well, no wonder.
Edward: No wonder what?
Vivian: No wonder why you came looking for me.

Despite their chemistry, Richard Gere had no plans to accept the role of Edward, opposite Julia. However, when he was on the phone to turn down the part, Julia slipped him a post-it that said “please say yes” – this convinced him to take the role.The opera that Edward and Vivian attend is called “La Traviata”, about a sex worker who falls in love with a wealthy man.
In the bar scene where Vivian finds Edward playing the piano, Richard Gere is playing a piece of music he composed himself.
Julia had to have her hair redyed after the detergent in the bubble bath scene stripped her hair of the red dye.
While shooting the scene where Vivian lies on the floor of Edward’s penthouse watching old I Love Lucy (1951) re-runs, Garry Marshall tickled Julia Roberts’s feet (out of camera range) to get her to laugh.
The movie’s original title was $3,000 (named after the amount of money Edward offers Vivian).
The original script was initially a much darker drama (the ending has Edward tossing Vivian out of his car, leaving her alone with her money), but once Garry Marshall got his hands on it, he reworked it into a romantic comedy.
The necklace that Vivian wears to the opera really cost $250,000. While filming, a security man from the jewelry store, equipped with a gun, constantly stood behind the director.
Julia Roberts was 22 at the time of filming, whereas Richard Gere was 40.
According to the DVD director’s commentary, the piano key sounds that are made during the lovemaking scene on the piano had to be dubbed in because the actual keys that Julia Roberts and Richard Gere randomly hit as they did the scene made such a discordant sound that it was unusable in the actual movie.
For the poster, Julia Roberts’s head was superimposed on Shelley Michelle’s body (who is Julia’s body double). Richard Gere’s hair is brown on the poster but graying in the movie.
Burt Reynolds was offered the role of Edward Lewis but declined. He jokingly said on the Piers Morgan show in 2012 that he made a mistake in not taking the part after he saw the film and the love-making scenes with Julia Roberts.
John Travolta also turned down the role of Edward.
Diane Lane came close to playing Vivian (before it became a romantic comedy), but she had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts.
During the scene where Julia Roberts sings along to Prince in the bathtub, later sliding down and dunking her head under the bubbles, the crew played a prank on her by vacating the set before she surfaced.
Al Pacino turned down the role of Edward after a screen test with Julia Roberts. Although he stated that he loved the screenplay, he felt he wasn’t the right actor for it.
This was Ralph Bellamy’s final film before his death on November 29, 1991, at age 87.
The role of Vivian earned Julia Roberts her second Oscar nomination in two years. The first was for Steel Magnolias in 1989. She was later nominated and won for Erin Brockovich (2001).