Most girls swoon at the mere mention of "Pretty Woman," the 1991 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. However, there is one person who isn't left weak at the knees from it: Gere himself.
Said Gere: "People ask me about that movie, but I've forgotten it. That was a silly romantic comedy. ['Arbitrage'] is a much more serious movie that has some real cause and effect."
However, the 62-year-old wasn't done bashing the flick, connecting it with the out-of-control bank CEOs of today's financial crisis. (Really.)
"['Pretty Woman'] made those guys seem dashing, which was so wrong," he said. "Thankfully, today, we are all more skeptical of those guys."
"Pretty Woman" starred Gere as successful businessman Edward Lewis (Gere), who falls for a prostitue named Vivian Ward (Roberts).
[{"entry_id":"3320218","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/josh-hutcherson-ape_n_3320218.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/297985\/slide_297985_2474373_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/297985\/slide_297985_2474373_small.jpg","title":"'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' at Cannes","slideshow_id":"297985","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3320908","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/ed-helms-the-hangover-3_n_3320908.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298639\/slide_298639_2479486_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298639\/slide_298639_2479486_small.jpg","title":"'The Hangover: Part III' L.A. Premiere","slideshow_id":"298639","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3331506","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/24\/epic-director-chris-wedge-interview_n_3331506.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294525\/slide_294525_2390728_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294525\/slide_294525_2390728_small.jpg","title":"2013 Summer Movie Preview: Family and Animation","slideshow_id":"294525","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3327543","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/23\/poltergeist-reboot-sequel_n_3327543.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/229646\/slide_229646_1038674_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/229646\/slide_229646_1038674_small.jpg","title":"Ridiculous Horror Movies","slideshow_id":"229646","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3321578","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/the-worlds-end-trailer_n_3321578.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294250\/slide_294250_2384634_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294250\/slide_294250_2384634_small.jpg","title":"13 New Comedies to Watch This Summer","slideshow_id":"294250","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3320345","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/the-hangover-movies_n_3320345.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/253294\/slide_253294_1575903_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/253294\/slide_253294_1575903_small.jpg","title":"The Biggest Mistakes in Comedy Movies","slideshow_id":"253294","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3320912","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/star-trek-13-movie_n_3320912.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/297360\/slide_297360_2447603_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/297360\/slide_297360_2447603_small.jpg","title":"Ranking Every 'Star Trek' Movie, From Best to Worst","slideshow_id":"297360","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3332414","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/24\/now-you-see-me-screening_n_3332414.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/299006\/slide_299006_2493162_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/299006\/slide_299006_2493162_small.jpg","title":"'Now You See Me' Screening in L.A.","slideshow_id":"299006","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3325785","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/23\/morgan-freeman-falls-asleep_n_3325785.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239957\/slide_239957_1256514_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/239957\/slide_239957_1256514_small.jpg","title":"Morgan Freeman's Best and Worst Quotes","slideshow_id":"239957","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3319871","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/man-of-steel-trailer-general-zod_n_3319871.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294559\/slide_294559_2391475_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294559\/slide_294559_2391475_small.jpg","title":"2013 Summer Movie Preview: Action and Superheroes","slideshow_id":"294559","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3326606","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/23\/brad-pitt-surprises-fans-at-world-war-z-screening_n_3326606.html","content_type":"video","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/293950\/slide_293950_2378783_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/293950\/slide_293950_2378783_small.jpg","title":"8 Must-See Horror Movies This Summer","slideshow_id":"293950","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3331517","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/24\/after-earth-unscripted-will-smith-jaden_n_3331517.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294761\/slide_294761_2400443_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/294761\/slide_294761_2400443_small.jpg","title":"'After Earth' Japan Premiere","slideshow_id":"294761","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3320240","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/before-midnight-la-premiere_n_3320240.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298909\/slide_298909_2484782_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298909\/slide_298909_2484782_small.jpg","title":"'Before Midnight' L.A. Premiere","slideshow_id":"298909","vertical":"moviefone"},{"entry_id":"3320647","entry_url":"http:\/\/news.moviefone.com\/2013\/05\/22\/fast-furious-6-la-premiere_n_3320647.html","content_type":"image","image_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298924\/slide_298924_2485068_small.jpg","thumbnail_url":"gadgets\/slideshows\/298924\/slide_298924_2485068_small.jpg","title":"'Fast & Furious 6' L.A. Premiere","slideshow_id":"298924","vertical":"moviefone"}]
Most girls swoon at the mere mention of "Pretty Woman," the 1991 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. However, there is one person who isn't left weak at the knees from it: Gere hi...
Most girls swoon at the mere mention of "Pretty Woman," the 1991 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. However, there is one person who isn't left weak at the knees from it: Gere hi...
Why would anyone be "seething with anger" over what he said? Talk about an article trying to take nothing and stir it up into something. He expressed a personal opinion about a movie he made 20 years ago. Some people liked it; he didn't. Big deal. He didn't say anything unkind or insulting about anyone.
beulah4: Why would anyone be "seething with anger" over what he
Debra Winger once in an interview said that she was miserable filming "An Officer And A Gentleman ", that they hated each other and that he was very hard to work with. Wonder what the really truth is.
sallybutt45: Debra Winger once in an interview said that she was
If you really fear a movie is romanticizing prostituion and CEOs...then seriously, go check yourself in at the first reality check point. You are far over do for a major overhaul. It's entertainment. Really, it's that simple. Watch it, enjoy it, for the period classic that it is.
MadBloggerUSA: If you really fear a movie is romanticizing prostituion and
back then, I personally did enjoy the movie. It was far from being an amazing movie, it was predictable, yet entertaining....and not all movies must have a point...it was..what it was: a cheezy 80's romantic film, they were all like that......Having said that, I guess he also has a point: a business man falling for a prostitute, as an actor, he must have felt that he didn't have much to work with there - and it did glamorize prostitutes and so on.., but in the end, just don't bash your own work, it's not fair to the people he worked with.
tbabalis: back then, I personally did enjoy the movie. It was
That's not what he said at all. And how nice to insult people who like something you don't.
What he said was it was his least favorite film because it was lightweight and he prefers something with more purpose. He didn't say that it sucked. And he's right that it romanticized such figures in an unfortunate way. I'm pretty sure most of us already knew that though. He was stating a personal preference, not taking digs at anyone.
beulah4: That's not what he said at all. And how nice
At the time he made that movie, it really helped his career. Now that he's taken a turn to the left politically, he's decided he doesn't like the character he played in the movie.
DomLucey: At the time he made that movie, it really helped
Not to mention romanticizing prostitution. I was doing some research on Prostitution in pop culture recently and discovered the original idea for Pretty Woman was to be a serious drama about the life of prostitutes in New York. Somehow it became a fluff peice.
mirianorthwind: Not to mention romanticizing prostitution. I was doing some research
The movie fit the times. Twenty yrs. ago, class warfare didn't exist anywhere close to the level of today. Viewers enjoyed a movie for it's net worth to them in entertainment value, not meaured as some rigid social or political theme. It may be one of Gere's least favorite but he protrayed the role very well but now he's moved on to far more sophisticated viewpoints.
That's the trouble with so many things today, too deep of an examination/assessment even on things of fictional interest. The movie helped Gere along in his career, he should critique it as a helpful stepping stone & not condescendingly..
destin023: The movie fit the times. Twenty yrs. ago, class warfare
It was a fun romantic comedy. But his occupation was a scoundrel, not a very nice guy, he was making money at others expense and misfortunes (Romney comes to mind).
It does not surprise me he holds this opinion, I agree. It was a fun movie but the reality would not be the same at all, quite the opposite I am afraid.
justwhendoesitend: It was a fun romantic comedy. But his occupation was
Loading comments… 
Posted: 03/19/2012 5:17 pm Updated: 03/19/2012 5:31 pm