Garry Marshall's romances work when he gives appealing actors time to make affection believable. We enjoy his warmth and comic patience, though Pretty Woman shows how readily his eagerness to reassure can leave awkward questions about money unanswered.
Fi1m perspective
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere get time to become good company in Pretty Woman (1990), and Marshall trusts them to make its unlikely courtship convincing. J.F. Lawton's screenplay has a corporate executive hire a sex worker as his companion, before affection complicates their arrangement. We were won over by the warmth between the two leads, despite our misgivings about the bargain bringing them together. Marshall understands the pleasure of watching people grow fond of each other, and gives that pleasure room.
The broad comedy and character warmth had been practised in television, including Happy Days (1974–84). Marshall began directing features with Young Doctors in Love (1982), then made the coming-of-age comedy The Flamingo Kid (1984) and the female-led tearjerker Beaches (1988). The fairy-tale romance of Pretty Woman gave those habits a useful home. Its premise needs an audience willing to accept a great deal, and his attention to the actors helps us do so.
Charles Minsky's polished photography suits that wish to reassure, while Albert Brenner's production design makes Edward's wealth look inviting. The appeal of Edward's comfortable life hardly needs explaining. Both serve the romance well, but they also make it easier to overlook how much power one person holds in the arrangement. We do not need a social inquiry from a romantic comedy; we would still welcome more curiosity about the unequal bargain on which this one depends.
Runaway Bride (1999) reunited Roberts and Gere, while The Princess Diaries (2001) took his taste for reassuring stories into family-film territory. Later came the holiday ensembles, including Valentine's Day (2010) and Mother's Day (2016). Critics often found the later films formulaic and sentimental, a danger built into an approach so determined to send people away happy. Without characters who earn our fondness, that insistence can become wearing. Start with Pretty Woman for Roberts and Gere, rather than for its wisdom about money.
Biography
Garry Marshall was an American producer, writer, director and actor. He created the television sitcoms Happy Days (1974–84) and The Odd Couple (1970–75), as well as spin-offs including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy.
Marshall directed feature films including Pretty Woman (1990), Beaches (1988), Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). He also appeared in small acting roles in films such as Hocus Pocus (1993) and television series including Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Two and a Half Men.
Born in the Bronx, New York, he studied at Northwestern University before beginning his career as a comedy writer. He died in Burbank, California, in 2016.
