Pretty Woman
I was honestly expecting to dislike this film as much as I disliked Eleven Minutes, but while there were many similar issues, and a plethora of new issues, I actually found it to be a rather enjoyable and well-done film.
I was very uncomfortable at the sheer amount of non-white people in the background playing the roles of servers and valets and chauffeurs. There were no people of color in positions of power (or even in speaking roles) which was a really uncomfortable experience.
Also awkward were the few times Richard Gere's character (Edward) and Julia Roberts' character (Vivian) had sex while she's still in his employ. While I'm not sure you could call it "rape" or even "non-consensual", the consent issues are somewhat screwy here because he's basically paying her for sex and. Yeah. The narrative doesn't address this at all, or the fact that the vast majority of the story takes place while Edward is exerting (monetary) power over Vivian.
Several other things I found awkward or uncomfortable:
Okay, so it might just be me, but I'm kinda tired of the media trying to convince me that I want to feel bad for rich, straight, cis-gendered, able-bodied, white dudes. Which isn't to say that rich white dudes can't have problems, or that their problems are less legitimate, but when contrasted with characters like Vivian, or Maria of Eleven Minutes it just seems really ... there's honestly no better word I can think of than "stupid".
I dunno, it's just -- it was Edward whose life we learned about, whose wife left him and whose girlfriend broke up with him and whose father was estranged. The actual plot of the movie focuses on Edward's business transactions and his growth as a human being. Meanwhile, we find out minimal information about Vivian's life and, moreover, she remains static throughout the film; she is not granted a chance to grow and change or, really, even leave the hotel room in which Edward has put her up except at his behest.
That said, the film is funny and I found Vivian to be an enjoyable character. It certainly had its moments, and thus I have some pretty mixed feelings on the whole. I'll leave you one question: what the hell is so sacred about kissing on the mouth? It's a trope I'm quickly becoming tired of.
I was very uncomfortable at the sheer amount of non-white people in the background playing the roles of servers and valets and chauffeurs. There were no people of color in positions of power (or even in speaking roles) which was a really uncomfortable experience.
Also awkward were the few times Richard Gere's character (Edward) and Julia Roberts' character (Vivian) had sex while she's still in his employ. While I'm not sure you could call it "rape" or even "non-consensual", the consent issues are somewhat screwy here because he's basically paying her for sex and. Yeah. The narrative doesn't address this at all, or the fact that the vast majority of the story takes place while Edward is exerting (monetary) power over Vivian.
Several other things I found awkward or uncomfortable:
- Several prostitutes die off-screen during the film, but their deaths are dismissed because they were crack addicts.
- Vivian is very blatantly and obviously objectified by the people around her, especially early on in the film. It is played for laughs.
- In the film, all of the characters with any degree of power are men.
Okay, so it might just be me, but I'm kinda tired of the media trying to convince me that I want to feel bad for rich, straight, cis-gendered, able-bodied, white dudes. Which isn't to say that rich white dudes can't have problems, or that their problems are less legitimate, but when contrasted with characters like Vivian, or Maria of Eleven Minutes it just seems really ... there's honestly no better word I can think of than "stupid".
I dunno, it's just -- it was Edward whose life we learned about, whose wife left him and whose girlfriend broke up with him and whose father was estranged. The actual plot of the movie focuses on Edward's business transactions and his growth as a human being. Meanwhile, we find out minimal information about Vivian's life and, moreover, she remains static throughout the film; she is not granted a chance to grow and change or, really, even leave the hotel room in which Edward has put her up except at his behest.
That said, the film is funny and I found Vivian to be an enjoyable character. It certainly had its moments, and thus I have some pretty mixed feelings on the whole. I'll leave you one question: what the hell is so sacred about kissing on the mouth? It's a trope I'm quickly becoming tired of.