Like “My Fair Lady,” the movie is another reimagining of “Pygmalion,” the George Bernard Shaw play about a crass, impoverished girl given a redemptive makeover by a sophisticated male mentor.ĭaryl Hannah was one of numerous well-known actresses who turned down the part, saying it was “degrading for the whole of womankind.” “In the movie she’s able to fill economic void with Edward’s money but in reality that doesn’t happen,” she says. Vivian’s exit from sex work thanks to Gere’s character is also troubling, she says. “You get the sense that she’s not the norm, and that allows us to get invested in her while not necessarily worrying about the welfare of other women who fall into the (sex worker) stereotype.” candidate in criminology at American University. “What’s problematic is how it portrays sex work at large, like she’s the only one worth saving,” said Hail-Jares, a Ph.D. On the other hand, the movie implies that by virtue of her beauty, drive and apparent drug-free lifestyle, Roberts is the exceptional sex worker who – unlike her pal Kit, for example – deserves a better life. On one hand Roberts’ character, Vivian, is a compelling protagonist who dispels the stereotype of the drug-addicted “crack whore” with little ambition, Hail-Jares said. They do it out of economic necessity after encountering roadblocks to traditional employment such as lack of education, a criminal record or sexual discrimination, she said. Most sex workers that Hail-Jares encounters through street-based outreach are not in it for a lark, or because they lack the drive to succeed, she says. The movie glosses over the less-than-glamorous motivations that can lead women into sex work, says Katie Hail-Jares, a board member of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP USA). It whitewashes the realities of prostitution Here are some of the leading pro-and-con arguments about the movie. Some critics complain the Garry Marshall film, whose female lead is an unrefined prostitute rescued from the streets by Richard Gere’s elegant millionaire, degrades women and glorifies materialism. The movie, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on Monday, grossed $463 million worldwide and made her the biggest female star in Hollywood.īut how does it stand up today? Not everyone is a fan. Most of all it had a lesser-known actress named Julia Roberts, whose radiant smile and coltish charm lit up the screen. The breezy comedy had all the key elements of romantic fantasy: a plucky, down-on-her-luck heroine, a rich, dashing prince and a Cinderella love story with a fairy-tale ending. For a generation of moviegoers in the early 1990s, “Pretty Woman” was a cultural touchstone.
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