2015 marks 25 years for Pretty Woman. The movie is a classic, a movie that made Julia Roberts famous. She also bagged the Best Actress award at the Oscars in 1990. This rags to riches romance has comedy, charm and passion that will surely seduce you and make you fall in love all over again as this contemporary Cinderella story unfolds before your eyes in the sparkling clarity of high definition, redefining watching the movie on a VHS tape years ago. Savor every word, every laugh, and every unforgettable song, yes there are many played in the background, not forgetting the title song composed and sung by Roy Orbison that went on to become a major hit.

Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) a no-nonsense billionaire who is on a weeklong business trip and needs to make use of his evenings. He drives down to the local street and meets up with Vivian (Julia Roberts) a spirited, streetwise hooker. Edward hires Vivian to be his date and discovers there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye, than a night of passion. Edward opens Vivian’s eyes to a wonderful new reality that has nothing to do with money or the glamorous life of the corporate rich. The world he shows her is one where a woman is treated as she is meant to be: like a lady and not a sex object.

Despite the nature of their basically professional relationship, the movie isn’t about sex or prostitution as some claimed it to be. The two come together, discovering a mutual struggle to give each other what they hadn’t been able to find on their own: Love. That’s what the movie is all about.

The film has a certain magic to it, something that shines through. Gere and Roberts have a quirky sort of chemistry; his suave, solemn style counterbalancing her brash, vivaciousness. Watch this movie with the one you love, or get it for the one you love… your Pretty Woman.

Rating: ****

-  Reviewed by Verus Ferreira