Better Never than Late on "Pretty Woman"

Over the weekend my wife showed me the movie "Pretty Woman". I had never seen it before. I have obviously heard of it before watching, and know of the most famous stuff from it, but I have never sat down and watched from start to finish with no interruptions. I was excited to see the movie because it feels like a cultural touchstone, especially for someone my age. I also tend to have the belief that Gary Marshall was a very good director.

So we watched. I paid full attention. I put my phone next to me and put it on vibrate. I barely looked at it. I wanted to consume this movie with almost my full attention. Unfortunately for me, the next two hours were pretty dull.

Now, don't get me wrong, this movie has its moments. Julia Roberts is wonderful in the movie. You could tell she was going to become a massive star after this movie. She has whatever "it" is needed to make it in Hollywood. I found her funny, charming, sweet and a delight to watch. The music is very much in the pocket of early to mid 90's glam pop. The songs were recognizable and memorable. I found myself bopping my head along from time to time. And the clothing couldn't have been more perfect for the era. It brought me back to a time with wild t-shirts, big shoulder pads and oversized suits. I'm talking about David Bryne from "Stop Making Sense" oversized. Hell, it was even great to see Hector Elizondo in a more understated and quiet role for him. He was fine and dandy in this movie.

Outside of those things, this movie was boring. Nothing really happens in it after Richard Gere picks Julia Roberts up off the road. They have their moments together, but it is never eye grabbing. The movie had my attention, but it didn't really force me to focus. What we essentially see is a couple meeting and deciding to stay together. There is the fact that Roberts plays a sex worker, but they hardly touch on that in the movie. It is mentioned, but never really shown outside of the first meeting and Gere paying her to stay with him for a week at the hotel. Her line of work could have played a much bigger part in this movie, but they hardly mined anything of note from it. We also have Jason Alexander playing the creep of all creeps. Even if I didn't have an idea about his role in this movie I could have picked out he was the bad guy right away. He was a cliche of a bad guy, even by 90's movie villain status. That whole scene at the end with him was gross as well. It made me sick to my stomach. We also have a great opportunity for Laura San Giacomo to really shine as a co-star. But she is a victim of this movie feeling like it needed to give Richard Gere more to do. She is in barely any scenes and it feels like she never gets to stretch her wings. And then we have Richard Gere. Gere is a fine actor, but this movie wastes his talent. He is quiet and brooding the whole time. I felt like I was watching a movie from Bruce Wayne's point of view. Minus the final scene of him walking up the ladder to meet Roberts at her apartment, he never really cracks a smile or raises his voice. It is almost as if he speaks in a whisper the whole movie. It was frustrating.

I wanted to like this movie. I had heard so many great things about it, I knew about the famous stuff, but the movie didn't live up to the expectations I built for it in my head. This was a miss for me. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll intentionally ever watch it again. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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A Millennial's Appreciation of Garry Marshall

Yesterday we lost another legend. This legend was huge in television and movies. We lost the great Garry Marshall at the age of 82.

Marshall was one of the great writers and directors that Hollywood had ever seen. Marshall had his hand in on many, many great television shows. Among many other things, Marshall created "Happy Days", "Mork and Mindy", "Angie" and "Laverne and Shirley". He wrote on classic TV shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Odd Couple" and "The Lucy Show". He directed classic movies like "Pretty Woman", "Beaches", "Overboard" and a bunch of the television shows he created and wrote on. He was a master of comedy in the 60's and the 70's. "Happy Days" is a timeless television show that, at least the first couple of seasons, still holds up. "Mork and Mindy" was the coming out party for the greatness that was Robin Williams(another person we lost way too young). "Laverne and Shirley" was, and still is, one of my mom's favorite TV shows, and I really enjoy it as well. It was one of the first shows that featured 2 females in lead roles. Marshall was an innovator.

Writing for the shows he wrote for was just incredible. During that era, there were very few channels, so whatever the higher ups at the channels wanted on TV, that what was on. That included some great shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Lucy Show" and "The Odd Couple". Those shows are all timers and Marshall was one of the lead writers on each one. Dick Van Dyke was an enormous star and a lot of his spoken words were lines written by Gary Marshall. There is almost no one as big as Lucille Ball in the history of TV, and Marshall wrote a lot of her jokes. "The Odd Couple", featuring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, again, written by Gary Marshall. Lemmon and Matthau are two of the biggest stars of all time, and Gary Marshall was one of the leaders in the writers room, feeding these guys their iconic lines.

I know that his movies near the end have become a punchline, but look at the ones I mentioned above. "Pretty Woman" was Julia Roberts coming out party. That movie made her a star. Also, to get a movie made in the 80's about a prostitute with a heart of gold, that's super impressive. Like I said, he was ahead of his time. "Beaches" is one of the saddest, most heart wrenching movies ever made, but I do not know one person that hasn't seen at least most of that movie. That movie is so sad, but it is also very well made and excellently directed. "Overboard" is a great comedy movie starring two fairly unknown people at the time. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn were marginally famous, but that movie put them over the top. That movie is also very, very funny and it does hold up. The farcical story is so out there, but due to Marshall's directing, it's believable and executed exceptionally. I never thought of Kurt Russell or Goldie Hawn as comedic actors until I saw "Overboard".

He also had a hand in on a lot of the stuff his sister, Penny Marshall, was involved with. Be it helping her write or cast or perform himself in the movies, he was a big help. His minimal role in "A League of Their Own" stands out among many great things in that wonderful movie. I'm sure he helped some way in one of my favorite movies, "Big". He directed, and gave his sister her start, in the wonderful "Laverne and Shirley". He also never had any problems helping his sister out. When he was called out for nepotism, he didn't hide from it, he embraced it. His famous quote about hiring family members, "When in doubt, you bring in relatives. Nepotism is a part of my work", is incredible.

I know it might seem weird that the millennial of the site is writing about Garry Marshall, but he has been involved, some way, throughout my entire life of watching TV and movies. I adore Gary Marshall's TV shows and most of his movies. I'm also curious as to how the podcast "Comedy Bang! Bang!" will approach this news. For those that don't know, Paul F Tompkins plays a lot of characters on the podcast and the TV show, but I think his most beloved is his impression of Gary Marshall. He does a spot on impersonation, and I hope they do something special to remember the man. I'm sure they will and I'm sure it will be hilarious and heartfelt. I eagerly await your move "Comedy Bang! Bang!".

Rest in Peace Garry Marshall. You were an innovator, a genius, a writer ahead of his time and an all around fantastic TV and movie personality. Your directing and writing will go down in history. Enjoy the afterlife good sir.

ed note: We forgot an extra r in Garry when the article was first published. We have corrected the mistake. Sorry that we are idiots.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.