STANDING OVATION! - (10 stars out of 10)

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2019)

The stage curtains open ...
The movie that made Julia Roberts a star. "Pretty Woman" was an instant classic - a 'fairy tale' for a modern age. And I absolutely love it, even after all these years.
"Welcome to Hollywood!" - When Edward Lewis loses his girlfriend on the eve of one of his biggest corporate deals, he finds himself driving his lawyer's Lotus Esprit and lost on Hollywood Boulevard where he finds a prostitute named Vivian Ward. He picks her up and she shows him back to where he is staying - the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Taken with her, he offers for her to stay the night and she accepts. The next morning, he offers to pay her to be his 'beck and call girl' for the entire week, and again she accepts. As they get to know each other, they become close until Vivian finds herself falling in love with Edward, and Edward becomes less bitter and finds a new lease on life.
I remember seeing this the year it came out and falling in love with it. The chemistry between Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was perfect. I cannot imagine anybody else playing their roles and pulling it off nearly as well. Julia Roberts took the world by storm in this role and immediately became a household name and hasn't looked back since.
This comes at the highest recommend possible. All the side characters are lovable, the story engaging, the music is memorable, and the fantasy elements are enticing. It's charming, touching, funny, and at times sad and poignant. This is the blueprint for romantic comedies. It really doesn't get any better than this - and it is still just as good and entertaining today as it was in 1990. A personal favorite.