| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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"I assume you're a...relative."
by Blanche (movies profile)
Dec 10, 2008
4
of
4 people found this review helpful
When I first saw this movie at the age of eight I thought it was great.
Then -as I matured- and lost faith in Cinderella stories, I thought it was just your average fairy-tale about a poor pretty girl going from rags to riches via her knight in shining armor.
Then one day, early this year, I found myself in the mood for an uplifting romantic comedy with plot and some actual DIALOGUE, and rented THIS movie.
(Because let's face it, no matter how cynical you are about the "Cinderella" genre, anything's better than How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days or many of these newer comedies that are so ridiculous you wonder of the film-makers were on crack during the production).
I was expecting a three -maybe four star- movie. The kind you liked as a kid, realized was ridiculous, but can still watch occasionally when you feel like pretending the fantasy is real.
The truth: I was expecting to watch it once maybe twice. But before the first twenty minutes were up I knew I was going to end up buying the movie.
There's a certain honesty to the whole thing and that (on top of the dialogue and the acting) is what makes the movie great. No one is doing anything out of the kindness of their hearts. It's all business...initially.
Example: When he asks her for directions, and she says:
"That'll be ten bucks."
And he says, "You can't charge me for directions."
"I can do whatever I want to baby. I aint lost."
The story revolves around a Georgian girl named Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) who's recently imigrated to L.A having followed what she calls "Bum Number Four", and -lacking better options- has become a prostitute.
She lives in a dingy, run-down apartment with friend Kit DeLuca (who introduced her to the profession), and who is now also spending their rent money on drugs while Vivian tries to chasten her.
It is a this point when a silver colored Lotus Esprit stops at red light,right where Kit and Vivian standing, and Kit urges her friend to go after this particular morsel.
"Don't take less than a hundred." she says, as Vivian struts away.
The driver of the Lotus is none other than the rich and handsome Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), who's borrowed the car from his lawyer Phillip Stuckey, following a sudden break-up (all-be-it over the phone) with his girfriend Jessica while attending Stuckey's dinner party.
Lost in East Hollywood, driving a car which refuses to co-operate with him, Edward asks the savvy Vivian for directions, and ends up getting driven to his Hotel (The Regent Beverly Willshire) where he decides to invite the girl up to his pent-house.
After an interlude with champagne and strawberries, Edward decides he wants her to stay the entire night, and one-hundred dollars becomes three.
Then, the following morning, it occurs to Edward that if he's going to close a deal to take over Morse industries (which he will then sell off piece by piece) he will need a female companion for public appearances and to be at his "beck and call".
The two squabble about the price of staying six days (nights too), and finally settle on three thousand dollars, plus money to buy clothes, which Vivian THINKS will be fun until she meets the snobs on Rodeo Drive.
Then,on her way back in -and bummed out- she encounters Barney Thompson (Hector Elizondo) who say that things that happen in other hotels "don't happen at the Regent Beverly Willshire."
Vivian explains her plight concerning the shopping and Barney picks up the phone.
Vivian thinks he's calling the cops but then he says very smoothly:
"Women's clothing? Bridget yes!"
After he makes arrangements for Vivian to buy a dress, he says that she assumes she's a relative of Mr. Lewis, and so will be checking out when he does.
And so an unlikely alliance is formed between Barney Thompson and Vivian Ward. An alliance rarely seen in movies of this genre, and which really enhances the charm of this story.
Hector Elizondo is great. In fact the movie would've been less without him...almost to the point of mediocrity.
The week progesses. Edward teaches Vivian how to shop; Vivian teaches him to let his hair down (i.e take a day off work). They go to the opera, Vivian gets attacked by Phil Stuckey (rescued in time by Edward). The two grow increasingly fond of each other...
But the bump in the road comes when Vivian wants the fairy-tale rather then being put up in a "great-condo", and that is more than Edward can or is willing to give.
Wether or not (or HOW) her dream will come true is what remains to be seen.
As it said at the begining of the movie:
"Some dreams come true. Some don't. So keep dreaming." |
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