Happy Anniversary, PRETTY WOMAN

Julia Roberts.  PRETTY WOMAN put her on the Hollywood map.  It earned Julia her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress and gave her something in common with Jane Fonda.

The 1990 romantic comedy was directed by TV sitcom king, Garry Marshall.  This was a big box office hit co-starring Richard Gere.  The original script, reportedly, underwent several changes with the main one being a tone rewritten from dark to light.  In the final product, Pretty Woman had a modern-day Cinderella theme.  Under Garry Marshall's direction, Julia Roberts was the streetwise Cinderella to Richard Gere's Prince Charming.

This was a Disney Studios production.  Remember the Pretty Woman's profession?  Gere played the no-nonsense businessman who needs an escort for an elegant event.  He finds her, cleans and dresses her up for the gala and then he falls in love with her.

This year, Pretty Woman celebrated its 25th anniversary.  The stars and director Garry Marshall reunited on NBC's Today with Matt Lauer to take us down memory lane.  Personally, I think Gere is hotter as a silver daddy than he was when he had dark hair.

On March 24, Today held a "Be Pretty Woman for Day" contest.  For a chance to win a 2-night stay in the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel, contestants had to show up on the Today show plaza wearing a Pretty Woman film-inspired outfit.  My initial reaction to this?  "She was a hooker!" Call me crazy but I don't know if I'd want my daughter appearing on a network morning news program dressed as a Hollywood hooker wearing a blonde wig.                                                            

I'd rather my daughter (if I had one) model herself on actress Julia Roberts.

A 1971 thriller was also a box office hit and also had a prostitute as its lead female character.  But this story is grittier and it's a thriller.  The prostitute, who has trust issues, must learn to trust a cop.  Her life is in danger.  What do Julia Roberts and Jane Fonda have in common artistically?  Both have several Oscar nominations to their credits, both are Best Actress Oscar winners (Roberts won for the 2000 drama, Erin Brockovich) and both got a nomination for playing a hooker who wore thigh boots.  Jane Fonda won a Best Actress Oscar for playing the tough New York City hooker in Klute.

This is a screen performance that today's young female acting hopefuls should watch and study.  Fonda did extraordinary work.  Take a listen to my short podcast piece on it:
bobbyrivers.podomatic.com/entry/2011-03-04T05_48_50-08_00.