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"PRETTY WOMAN" (1990) (Julia Roberts, Richard Gere) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy None Extreme Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Mild Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Mild None Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Romantic Comedy: A cutthroat businessman who lives to work finds himself opening up to an unlikely woman. PLOT: Edward Lewis (RICHARD GERE) is a tycoon who buys and sells companies with little regard for anything but capital gain and no time for a personal life. While on a business trip to California to close the deal of a lifetime, he gets dumped by his latest girlfriend and decides to go for a drive to clear his head. Discovering he's lost on the way to his Beverly Hills hotel, he stops and asks a prostitute, Vivian Ward (JULIA ROBERTS), for directions. From there, what starts as a paid physical exchange becomes an unlikely and affectionate relationship. As Vivian takes a brief taste at life on top of the world, she tries to rescue her roommate and friend Kit (LAURA SAN GIACOMO), a fellow prostitute. Meanwhile, as Edward realizes there's more to life than ruthless deal making, he finds he must distance himself from his longtime lawyer, Phil Stuckey (JASON ALEXANDER), who sees the world in black and white and doesn't care to learn to do otherwise. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Younger kids probably won't want to see this movie unless they are fans of the actors; older kids may want to watch because the film is widely-known and regarded as a "classic" of the 1990s. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For sexuality and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: RICHARD GERE is Edward Lewis, a company president who presides over the purchase, split, and sale of dozens of companies. It's implied that he's a womanizer, although we don't see him romancing multiple women during the movie. Despite his wealth and success, he is inherently unhappy, and seems to have no time for anything but work. He hires Vivian for the week and they have sex, but we get the impression he has no past experience with prostitutes. With Vivian around, he opens up and realizes he wants to do more than just make money. He swears occasionally. He does not drink alcohol. JULIA ROBERTS plays Vivian Ward, a young woman who dropped out of high school and left her hometown for Hollywood after a troubled childhood. She held down several odd jobs before becoming a prostitute to make enough money to pay the rent. Despite her rough-around-the-edges persona, Vivian is bright and perceptive, providing Edward with a fresh perspective on his life. Vivian drinks, has sex, and swears occasionally. JASON ALEXANDER plays Phil Stuckey, Edward's uptight attorney. Always out to make a buck, Phil often forgets he works for Edward and not the other way around. He is portrayed as soulless and cruel. He swears often, propositions Vivian with his wife nearby, and at one point becomes violent with Vivian. HECTOR ELIZONDO plays Barney Thompson, the manager of the Beverly Hills hotel where Edward stays with Vivian. At first, he looks down on her, but ultimately finds himself charmed and helps her get nice clothes, teaches her the intricacies of formal dinner silverware, and encourages Edward to follow his heart. LAURA SAN GIACOMO plays Kit DeLuca, Vivian's tough-talking roommate. Also a prostitute, she's more street-worn than Vivian, submitting herself to a pimp and using their rent money to buy drugs. She drinks, does drugs and swears. RALPH BELLAMY plays James Morse, an elderly businessman whose company Edward wants to buy. ALEX HYDE-WHITE plays his grandson, David, who is being groomed to take over the family business. AMY YASBECK plays Phil's vacuous wife, Elizabeth. She is shallow and prissy and her two great loves are money and aerobics. She is rude to Vivian. BILLY GALLO plays Carlos, a pimp. He is a minor character we only see once, but he's referenced several times as someone who is abusive to women, destructive, violent, and a drug user. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this romantic comedy that's been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 3 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are present. There is an extreme degree of sexually related dialogue and some nudity, though only one scene shows an exposed breast and the rest consist of strategically covered people. There are several scenes showing women wearing revealing clothing. Various characters drink alcohol, though not to excess, and there is occasional smoking. There are also multiple drug references, including to crack, one scene in which a cocaine deal is shown and one scene in which minor characters are doing drugs. There is a brief reference to a murdered woman who was pulled out of a dumpster. Violence features a man slapping a woman across the face and pulling himself on top of her in a sexually aggressive way, prompting another man to punch the first and break his nose. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see a cocaine deal taking place on a street corner. A presumably drunk guy wanders up the street babbling to himself. Several people smoke marijuana in a bar. People are drinking beer and other alcohol in a bar. Kit spends Vivian's and her rent money on drugs. There are several references to "crackheads." Vivian drinks champagne in Edward's hotel room. Edward says he doesn't drink. Edward accuses Vivian of using drugs in his bathroom when she hides something behind his back, but she is really holding dental floss. Vivian says she doesn't do drugs. Edward says he is "high on life." BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Various characters are prostitutes, while one is a pimp. Edward and Phil use strong language when doing business (e.g. "I'm gonna tear you apart") Kit steals food from a bar. Kit threatens another prostitute for working on her corner. Vivian is rude to a bellboy because she doesn't realize he is waiting for a tip. The proprietors of a fancy boutique won't wait on Vivian because of her sleazy attire and tell her to leave their store. Barney tells Vivian she's not welcome at the hotel once Edward leaves. Phil propositions Vivian several times and calls her a "hooker" and a "whore." Phil asks Vivian if he could have sex with her so he could be happy like Edward, then is sexually aggressive toward her. FRIGHTENING SCENES Phil confronts Vivian in Edward's hotel room after Edward walks out on a billion-dollar deal. He blames her for the change and suggests that if he could also sleep with her, maybe he'd be happy like Edward. He then gets physically aggressive towards her, pulling himself on top of her and slapping her in the face. Edward comes in and pulls Phil off, punching him in the face and throwing him out of the room. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Where the f*ck you wanna go?" "What the f*ck is going on here?" "Cinder-f*cking-rella," " This guy sold me some great sh*t," "Holy sh*t!" "Bullsh*t," "I can't believe this sh*t," "No sh*t, Sherlock!" "Hooker," "Whore," "You could freeze ice on his wife's ass," "He's gonna kick my ass," "His nuts are on the block," "I'm really pissed," "Not quite the bastard everyone says he is," "Most people shock the hell out of me," "How the hell did you pull something like that?" and "What the hell is wrong with you?" The prostitutes wear skimpy outfits with heavy makeup. Vivian makes fun of Edward's fear of heights by sitting on the penthouse balcony wall and leaning back with no hands. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Vivian sings along to the Prince song, "Kiss," which includes the lyric "I wanna be your fantasy." PROFANITY At least 3 "f" words, 8 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("screw"), 4 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 hells, and 3 uses of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY We see various prostitutes soliciting men in cars. There is a close-up of a woman's behind in lacy underwear, then the woman in just a bra and panties as she changes into a revealing outfit (short skirt, revealing top, thigh-high boots) Women dance suggestively in a bar. A man asks a prostitute for a "freebie" for his birthday. There is a close-up of a woman's behind pressed against a car window. Vivian grabs Edward's crotch in the car and makes a reference to him getting an erection. Edward offers Vivian money to spend the night in his hotel room. A man gapes at Vivian in an elevator lobby. His wife says "close your mouth, dear." Vivian asks Edward what he wants to do with her. Vivian sits on Edward's desk. He says "you're on my fax." She says, "that's one I haven't been on before." Vivian pulls an array of condoms out of her boot and asks Edward to pick. She says she's a "safety girl." Vivian tells Edward he can stop with the seduction because she's a "sure thing." She strips in front of him. Vivian undresses Edward and oral sex is implied. Later, we see him taking a shower (only his chest is visible) and her sleeping nude in bed (only her back is visible), so we assume they have had sex. Vivian says she "screwed the debate team in high school." Vivian refers to herself as Edward's "beck and call-girl." Vivian says "when I'm with a guy, I'm like a robot, I just do it." Edward compares himself to Vivian, saying "we both screw people for money." Edward opens Vivian's bathrobe, revealing a negligee underneath. Edward caresses Vivian as she sits on top of a piano. Oral sex is presumed but the scene pans out without us seeing anything. We see Vivian in her underwear in a dressing room. Vivian waits at the hotel table for Edward to come back, wearing nothing but a man's tie. We only see her from the back. Vivian and Edward sit in the bathtub naked together (bubbles are strategically placed) and she wraps her legs around him. Vivian tells someone she's not interested in using Edward "just for sex." Edward tells Phil he found Vivian on "976-BABE." Edward tells Phil Vivian is a "hooker." Vivian and Edward are presumably naked in bed, though we don't see anything but their shoulders and above, and we assume they have had sex. Edward and Vivian kiss passionately and he takes off her nightgown. We see her breast and they have sex (assumed). Kit solicits an elderly man in the hotel lobby and tells him his wife can watch for $75. Kit says her pimp would "bust something if he saw you in that outfit." Phil confronts Vivian, saying "maybe if I screw you I'll be happy like Edward." SMOKING There is brief smoking by extras in a bar. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Judging people who are different from you/class discrepancies Doing the right thing Respecting yourself and your body, prostitution The business world, and how some people are only out to make money. Fear of heights. Corporate raiders who buy and then split up companies. VIOLENCE Phil confronts Vivian in Edward's hotel room after Edward walks out on a billion-dollar deal. He blames her for the change and suggests that if he could also sleep with her, maybe he'd be happy like Edward. He then gets physically aggressive towards her, pulling himself on top of her and slapping her in the face. Edward comes in and pulls Phil off, punching him in the face and throwing him out of the room. Reviewed January 29, 2007 / Posted February 27, 2007