another film-from-the-eighties thread: Pretty Woman

[speakingwoman]

followng the Private Benjamin re-appreciation thread - did anyone see Pretty Woman last night?

I first watched it when I was 16.

I have to say, it was 100 times better than I expected and I'd recommended it. Roberts moves her long body like my lanky 15 year old moves his - like she doesn't know what to do with all that length. it's such clever acting - makes you feel so protective towards her.

The premise of the chat thread is that it's shite, and many posters agree.

When I read it last night the premise was "shite but in a good way" and not shite on the way FWR would call it.

"I'm really puzzled- you used to despise Katherine Hepburn? Strsight talking, quick witted, brooks no nonsense, strong independent Katherine Hepburn"

I know - what can I say? I was a prat. I think I was annoyed with her for not having a job or something in a film??? Let's just say I was confused. I know better now.

I think I despised Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot as well. Now I see her as a comic genius.

If Pretty Woman was reversed and was Handsome Man or similar.
Filthy rich woman picks up a good looking escort...
what would people say?
Or if it was two women or two men?

I saw PW when it came out and although it was an entertaining film, I had concerns about its message.

If anyone is charitable enough to link to the AIBU thread I'd be grateful.

I won’t be rushing to encourage DD to watch it when she’s a teen, that’s for sure, so much wrong with it.

It was released in 1990, btw.

Watchable glossy shite is more insidious than obvious shite, unfortunately.

*Pretty Woman is a positive film in that

• the woman doesn't pay
• the woman walks away because she values herself
• the man has to crawl back to the woman*

To be honest, I never really think of it as being anything to do with portraying prostitution. That's like judging Cinderella for being about poverty

If it isn't all about prostitution your La Traviata comment makes no sense.

OP after you posted, I realised what you meant

but really, if we can't expect that the woman isn't "punished" in a late 20th century film, we haven't got anywhere.

oh wait...we haven't got anywhere!

anyway, I'm happy to stick with the "pile of shite" perspective I had in my 20s.

The other thread was in Chat not AIBU.It has dropped out of active and I can't be bothered searching for it.

You haven't seen or read Pygmalion. The ending was changed (and the play ruined) in My Fair Lady.

Absolutely terrible film, pathetic story and appalling message about sex, women and relationships.

Honestly I don't know where to start.

I hate the scene in the restaurant where the men are discussing a complex financial take-over bid and the woman struggles to use cutlery.

I hate the scene where women making an honest living as sales assistants are humbled by a woman who sells her body.

I hate he scene where she gives him a blow job. It is just creepy.

I will never watch it again but suffice to say, I think it is a terrible film with no redeeming features.

fair enough LIghthouse :) It's not "Wild" is it? I agree - we haven't got anywhere - or perhaps I should say we haven't got very far.

there is very very little feminist art. I like to think that Jane A. enjoyed letting Lydia B get away with it. Small acts of rebellion.

"You haven't seen or read Pygmalion. The ending was changed (and the play ruined) in My Fair Lady."

Oh wow. thank you.! I'm off to Amazon right now to get it on the Kindle for holiday reading.

Many thanks Clara.

also, there's no traffic in LA. You can drive your car that fast through a whole bunch of empty roads en route to the Wilshire.

no eye roll emoji!!

[smle] lighthouse

I think it caused a lot of punters to imagine they are Richard Gere who the prostitute longs to be rescued by.

Particularly grating when the prostituted women knows she wouldn't touch the bloke with a bargepole without the money upfront and shudders as he exits. She certainly wouldn't want to marry the creep.

"I hate the scene in the restaurant where the men are discussing a complex financial take-over bid and the woman struggles to use cutlery."

For heaven's sake woman - do you think that's unusual or that it has changed? I sat through a boring posh restaurant meeting set up with the ostensibly purpose of men meeting me and listened to them crap on about rugby for hours just the other week. It was all covered up with ritualism of restaurants. After all, how can you be ignoring a woman if you stand up when she stands?
I set myself a bingo task: could I mention the word "woman" and the word "menopause" without being spotted?
That's just the real world.

Clarice - thank you. Yes, I guess those men took something different from it :(

I started the other thread in Chat and believe me I felt it was shite but was wondering was I being a grump as it was such a popular film with other women my age.

I think it caused a lot of punters to imagine they are Richard Gere who the prostitute longs to be rescued by

According to the LA policeman I referred to it also caused vulnerable young women to think the punters were like Richard Gere. This particular policeman approached his job that it wasn't for him to be judgemental about what adults do in private- he was there to deal with drugs, pimping, underage girls, abuse and violence and he hated Pretty Woman for prettyifying and glossing over what he dealt with.

For heaven's sake woman - do you think that's unusual or that it has changed? I sat through a boring posh restaurant meeting set up with the ostensibly purpose of men meeting me and listened to them crap on about rugby for hours just the other week. It was all covered up with ritualism of restaurants. After all, how can you be ignoring a woman if you stand up when she stands?
I set myself a bingo task: could I mention the word "woman" and the word "menopause" without being spotted?
That's just the real world

Might be your world , not mine. I regularly have lunch business meetings- we discuss business, general news, politics. I think attendees would think it a bit odd if I started talking about the menopause.

Keith Lemon and Paddy McGuinnes did a parody of it the other week and my DS asked what PW was about.

When I explained it, the blinkers that had been on my 16 yr old eyes came off. I thought nothing of it then, but now I find it uncomfortable.

I believe the original screenplay was different. Gritty, but somehow ended up as bubblegum.

I watched and enjoyed it in a nostalgic way. Even as fluffy romcoms go, it hasn't stood the test of time. Even at the time I don't think it was seen as a great feminist film.

I remember going to see it when it came out with a couple of friends (we were all postgrad students). When we came out, one said "Well, that's a very clever piece of marketing isn't it? You almost come out of it believing prostitution is a glamorous job..."

She was absolutely right of course.

Julia Roberts - first night on the job as a streetwalker (not a high end escort) meets Richard Gere, who falls in love with her and whisks her off to a millionaire lifestyle while learning to love and care himself through her transformative goodness.

Real streetwalker - sucking blokes off in the gutter for 10 bucks, with the ever-present risk of rape, assault and murder (I believe the homcide rate is well over 20 times greater for street prostitutes than for women in the general population) before losing her teeth to her crystal meth addiction.

What you're seeing as a film celebrating "female transgressiveness", OP, I'm afraid I'm seeing as a film celebrating a patriarchal system which puts a high gloss advertising spin on an inherently exploitative form of male violence against women.

The male equivalent movie has been made-the wedding date

It's as awful as you would expect