Pretty Movie, would see again

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2015)

This romantic comedy classic is definitely worth watching. It feels very 80's at times and it's just the perfect movie for a nice, quiet evening. Also, Richard Gere is the perfect gentleman and I couldn't imagine anyone playing the part better.
With Julia Roberts, however, I don't really buy it. I mean she looks beautiful in the gowns and evening dresses and when she's all proper - but I don't believe it when she tries to be a hooker. Besides, the screenwriters don't really give her a chance to be the hooker, anyway. The character change goes down a little to quickly for my taste. We only see her in her street dress for a couple of minutes and then, bam, overnight she knows how to be proper. During the first dinner with James Morse she acts a little out of place but that's all. After all, she's had all of thirty seconds of "fork training".
Personally, I think the bum-to-lady change was done better in "My Fair Lady" (although I liked that movie overall a little less). There we could really see Eliza becoming a lady not only from the outside but also in terms of her character. In "Pretty Woman", Vivian just knows all too suddenly how to behave and how to express her emotions in a more elegant way.
Another inconceivable element of the movie for me was why they all like her in the first place. To Edward at the beginning she's only a pretty face. Is that really enough? Same with the manager of the hotel, Barney Thompson. It seems he genuinely likes her, instead of just wanting to suck up to Edward by pretending to like her.
I guess what I'm saying is that she's not that convincing in the first part of the movie. It's not like she's portrayed to have this irresistible personality, or at least I don't see it. She is convincing, however, with the whole "no one's ever made me feel this cheap before" struggle. I can't know for sure but it seemed honest enough.
All in all, however, I really liked "Pretty Woman". The chemistry between the actors is incredibly genuine (as evidenced by the clasping-the-necklace-box-shut scene (which apparently was improvised)) and the music is pretty iconic. To me the kissing scenes were also a lot less clichéd than I expected. Especially the piano scene. Oh my God, Richard Gere in the piano scene.
In conclusion, would see again and totally recommend it.