Troubling...but I did like it

Rating: 6/10 (30 January 2007)

Rich man Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) gets lost in CA looking for Beverly Hills. He asks directions from prostitute Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts). She quickly gets in the car with him, they get there...and he invites her to stay for the night. And slowly they (sigh) fall in love...
SPOILERS!!! OK--on one hand this movie is pretty sick. All the prostitutes look like models--perfect health, clothes, teeth etc etc. Prostitution is shown as an OK lifestyle (that's how Roberts meets Gere) but just a little risky. Also everything looks perfect in this film--even the prostitutes apartment! It also ends with Roberts giving over herself to Gere totally. First of all is the implication that a woman NEEDS a man to survive and, second, she still is a prostitute--but just for him. That's a pretty disturbing message. The film plays lip service to occasionally telling us how horrible the career is--but everything they show is picture perfect. Also the film's R rating won't prevent kids from seeing it. I can imagine what they're gonna get from this. There's also a particularly sick sequence when Jason Alexander tries to rape her. THIS is a romantic comedy? END SPOILER!!!
That aside I DID like the film. The script is sharp (Roberts pulls off some great lines), there's a great soundtrack and even the supporting cast works. The two best are Laura San Giacomo and Hector Elizondo (nominated for a Golden Globe). Gere and Roberts are excellent--they're both attractive people and have a great chemistry together. This is a little too long and I find the ultimate message troubling (and kind of sick)...but I'd be lying if I said I hated it. A 6.