Pretty Woman: A Romantic Comedy

The popular romantic comedy, Pretty Woman, is a story that shows how members of two different social classes meet and become forced to learn about each other's way of life and fall in love in the process (Garnham). Edward, (Richard Gere) is the upper-class businessman who coincidentally meets Vivian, (Julia Roberts), a lower-class prostitute, while trying to find his way back to his hotel after a fancy gathering of co-workers and other members of his elite society. After staying with Edward for a period of time, Vivian becomes assimilated into his upper-class way of life. While Vivian is learning how to fit into the upper echelons of society, Edward also learns how life is for the lower class. "Every society is marked by inequality, with some people having more money, schooling, health, and power than others. With its predictable plot, simple conflict and easy resolution, simple characters that the audience relates to, and the notion that one character saves the other, this film is the very definition of a romantic comedy.

The predictable plot. This particular aspect of romantic comedies both explains their continued popularity and remains one of the hallmarks of this particular genre. Romantic comedies almost always follow the basic formula: Two people who are not supposed to be together somehow manage to fall in love. Hijinks and other mishaps ensue, they get into a huge fight, and then everything ends happily ever after (Garnham). This film follows these guideline to the tee, especially with the two characters from total opposite ends of the social pool. The difference between social classes in Pretty Woman is obvious from the beginning. The immediate contrast between settings at the opening of the movie immediately let the audience know that social and economic status will be a prevalent theme throughout the film. This is exemplified at the beginning of the movie, when Edward attends a party, where everyone is well dressed and well mannered. In the scene that immediately follows, Vivian's side of town is shown. On this side of town, small rundown apartments are shown along with homeless people living on the streets. The director introduces the audience to Vivian and Kat in the context of their small dirty apartment, in which they must to hide their rent money. The necessity of hiding money serves two purposes in this opening scene: first to tell the audience that they have only cash, and do not use bank accounts; and second to let the audience know that much looting occurs in their neighborhood. On the streets, drugs are being sold, people are dying and girls make their living as prostitutes. It continues to follow this predictable plot with the minor disasters throughout the movie, to the parting fight and the ending scene when he climbs the ladder and they live happily ever after. Sure, this may make for some boring watching for those who like their cinema action-packed, but for others it is a comfort zone that we look forward to when watching romantic comedies. We enjoy watching people live out the types of lives we may desire but may never have, and the happy ending allows us to feel that the world will be all right, if only for a little while.

Following the predictable plot is the simple conflict and easy resolution, which is a core aspect to romantic comedies. It’s the simple conflict that usually arises near the end of the film, which threatens the happy ending that we have come to expect. For example, in this film the conflict about their different social classes is one of the main reasons for the couple arguing throughout the film, and for splitting up toward the end of the film. It causes them both to realize that maybe their relationship won’t work out and they both accept the end of their agreement. Both Vivian and Edward are very much aware of their differences when they meet, which occurs when Edward pulls up to Vivian in a Lamborghini. Right away, Vivian accurately assumes that Edward has money from the combination of his car and his nice attire. Likewise, Edward knows that Vivian is a prostitute herself for similar reasons. This class-consciousness is shown throughout the film. This is another huge aspect as to why this film is definitely a romantic comedy. Because although we know that the story is going to end happily, we still enjoy that little bit of conflict, superficial as it may be. It reminds us, if just for a few moments, that the story is based on reality and reality is often not very pretty or likeable, or even enjoyable.
One of the final aspects that makes this film a romantic comedy is the simple characters that the audience can relate to. If you've ever seen a romantic comedy (especially those produced in the last few decades), you'll quickly notice how simple the characters are, and that's why we love them. When we see Richard Gere and Julia Roberts for example, we don't expect them to exhibit the range of dramatic talent that we would see them perform in a straight drama film, because that's not what we expect when we watch a romantic comedy (Macionis). We want to see characters that are both believable and also simple people we can cheer for. Romantic comedies of all varieties, no matter how high-quality they might otherwise be, always skimp when it comes to character development. The genre really doesn't need any type of Oscar winning performances to keep it popular with the crowds, and it almost always delivers. Edward shows a side of male supremacy throughout this film as he tries to protect Vivian. He acts as though he must take care of Vivian, as though she cannot take care of herself (Anderson). He expresses his power over her when he tells her to buy new clothes and teaches her how to act and behave among his friends. He even offers to pay for her to live in a nice house near his business so that she can get off the streets. Vivian eventually comes to believe that Edward thinks he can pay his way through every aspect of life. This upsets Vivian because Edward's belief that he can buy any and everything permeates every aspect of his life, including relationships and Vivian herself. In Edward's life and childhood, money is the answer to everything. The irony in this part of the movie, which ties in with the cultural/social conflict that leads to the climax, is that Vivian loves Edward for the way he treats her, as a person and not as a prostitute, and not for his wealth or prestige, even if he is trying to protect her.
The movie Pretty Woman briefly showed what life living in the lower class was like, but concentrated mostly on the upper class lifestyle. Throughout the movie, Pretty Woman, references are made concerning the different social classes (Anderson). Most of the film concentrates on the lifestyle of Edward and the upper class. It gives the impression of upper class superiority, and the need to "save" members of the lower class. This is shown by Edward's need to save and care for Vivian. The film Pretty Woman remains a popular movie still today for many reasons, among which is the prevalent belief that the upper classes need to "save" and/or "care for" the lower classes. These are some of the most common characteristics of romantic comedies, and these characteristics in turn are the main reasons we enjoy watching them. They're like the candies of the cinema world. We watch them because they make us feel good, but they don't necessarily make us think or seek to change the world. And that's just the way we like them.

Works Cited

Anderson, Thomas J. "PRETTY WOMAN: Pretty Much Still a Classic Romantic Comedy | Film: History, Culture, and Change." Film History Culture and Change. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://filmhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/pretty-woman-pretty-much-still-a-classic-romantic-comedy/>.

Garnham, Emily. "Pretty Woman Director Garry Marshall: What Makes a Great Romantic Comedy." Daily Express 11 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Print.

Macionis, J.J. (2009). Society: The basics 10th edition, Upper Saddle, N.J. Pearson Education Inc. Print.