# Does the movie Pretty Woman" have a "message" of any kind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443 "2009-10-20T04:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/1 "2009-10-20T04:06:08Z")
Re "[Pretty Woman"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Woman) does this film have anything resemblng a message of any kind ? ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/2 "2009-10-20T10:30:14Z")
That Julia Roberts is hot? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/3 "2009-10-20T10:32:39Z")
You don’t need college to better yourself if you have a sugar daddy? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/4 "2009-10-20T11:00:41Z")
All street hookers are secretly Hollywood actresses and vice versa? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/5 "2009-10-20T11:11:34Z")
A theme dominates modern (American?) myth: _Love conquers all_. If you love someone enough, all other problems will be conquerable. No obstacle will stand in the way of happiness. In this case, he will stop being a ruthless workaholic business man and she will stop being a prostitute and, despite their vast background differences, they will live a life of happiness together. _What happens after the prince saves the princess? She saves him right back._ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/6 "2009-10-20T11:16:39Z")
That two beautiful, but shallow, people can find happiness together. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/7 "2009-10-20T11:25:46Z")
I think _Pretty Woman_, _While You Were Sleeping_ and _Ghost_ provide the perfect guide for the modern woman. For true love to blossom you want a man who is rich, comatose or dead. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/8 "2009-10-20T12:00:51Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I think _Pretty Woman_, _While You Were Sleeping_ and _Ghost_ provide the perfect guide for the modern woman. For true love to blossom you want a man who is rich, comatose or dead. Or, as Anna Nicole Smith discovered, all three. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/9 "2009-10-20T12:05:20Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I think _Pretty Woman_, _While You Were Sleeping_ and _Ghost_ provide the perfect guide for the modern woman. For true love to blossom you want a man who is rich, comatose or dead. ouch! Nothing more to say than that:cool: ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/10 "2009-10-20T12:44:09Z")
Not to whiz in your Cheerios or anything, but why do you ask?I mean, did you just pick a popular movie at random or us there something else motivating your question? ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/11 "2009-10-20T13:01:05Z")
Even the dumbest of movies can become a huge boxoffice hit. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/12 "2009-10-20T13:13:28Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I mean, did you just pick a popular movie at random or us there something else motivating your question? I didn’t ask the question, but here’s my guess: the central character is a prostitute, but the movie romanticises the world of prostitution beyond all semblance of reality. It says that, if you are pretty enough, you can hang out on a street corner, and an incredibly handsome and rich man will pick you up and fall in love with you, just like that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/13 "2009-10-20T13:17:33Z")
I think the message is if you are a script writer under a deadline and you ran out of ideas, your best bet is to take a catchy lyric from a popular song and write a story around it using stream-of-consciousness and whatever pops into your head when thinking about the song. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/14 "2009-10-20T13:44:21Z")
The original script was darker and more realistic. Geer’s character drops the whore in the end and she returns to the streets and overdoses on crack. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/15 "2009-10-20T14:00:03Z")
I watched this recently by accident. Cynicism aside, think it’s a kinda “don’t judge a book by its cover” message. And there’s some sort of self-improvement crap in it: I’m sure the polo match was a crude reference to Pygmalion. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/16 "2009-10-20T14:00:34Z")
The message is that if you are a woman, there’s always a chance that a rich, handsome, sensitive man will come and take you away from your shitty life and otherwise validate your existence. And if you are a man, if you’re not rich, handsome and sensitive there’s no chance at all you will ever get a woman as hot as Julia Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/17 "2009-10-20T14:04:49Z")
Two words: Lyle. Lovett. Who is admittedly rich, but not handsome. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/18 "2009-10-20T14:32:28Z")
It is simply a fantasy movie. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to suddenly go from barely earning your keep to having more money than you know what to do with? Have you ever sat and pondered after a failed relationship whether or not you would ever find anyone to love you again? Have you ever been treated like crap by service people and wanted to pay them back for it? This movie takes all sorts of internal fantasy scenarios and puts them on the big screen with attractive people and a fun soundtrack. That is really the only purpose of the film. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/19 "2009-10-20T14:33:34Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Or, as Anna Nicole Smith discovered, all three. Damn. Zing! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443/20 "2009-10-20T14:52:51Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Two words: Lyle. Lovett. > > Who is admittedly rich, but not handsome. True, but that marriage didn’t last long. She’s hooked up with some cameraman now, I think, has a few kids, and is probably the breadwinner in that family. Which just goes to show actresses are not necessarily their characters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-movie-pretty-woman-have-a-message-of-any-kind/514443.md?page=2)