Star Making Roles Part 1: Gary Marshall Edition

Ironically the night before I return back home to Boston after coming home for Christmas I am watching Pretty Woman with my family.  If you follow me on here, I watched this movie with my family the night before I went home on Thanksgiving.  This made me think about something different this time, while Pretty Woman was not Roberts first film but this movie made her a huge star. Everyone starts somewhere, sometimes some one's first film rockets them to super stardom while with other actors/actresses it takes one, two and sometimes many more films to make it big.  Gary Marshall's film had the magic with Robert's career.

Julia Roberts-Pretty Woman (1990) In the 80s Julia Roberts was the younger sister of the much more famous Eric Roberts; she had a few acting gigs on television shows like Crime Story and Miami Vice.  In 1988 Robert's landed her first major film role in the small film about a pizza place called Mystic Pizza.  One year later she scored a prime role in with an all-star cast in the film Steel Magnolias.  This film starred three academy award winners,Sally Field, Shirley McClaine, and Olympia Dukakis, the film also had the acclaimed Dolly Parton, and another ingenue Daryl Hannah.  Robert's role Shelby was the only Oscar nomination for the film; she landed a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.  While landing an Academy Award nomination pushed her in the right direction it was her lead role opposite Richard Gere  made Roberts a huge star.  Gary Marshall's film utilized her smile, charm, and great comedic timing in order to make her one of the biggest stars of all time.  Roberts was nominated for her second Academy Award for this film, but did not win until 2000 with her film Erin Brockovich.

Marshall seems to have been the master of catapulting leading ladies in the limelight.  I have rarely seen a man help stars become massive stars so quickly.  Not only did Marshall direct Roberts in her star making role in Pretty Woman, but he also directed Anne Hathaway in her first major film, The Princess Diaries (2001).  Anne's career took a lightening bolt ride making her sought after by many directors.

Anne Hathaway-The Princess Diaries (2001) In 2001 a young girl awkwardly turned from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan before our eyes, in the film The Princess Diaries.  Hathaway had the grace, presence, charm and wonderful comedic timing that launched Julia Roberts into being a major star.  Hathaway has gone on to star in numerous films with many major stars.  At the beginning of her career Hathaway was on the path to be pigeon holed into the similar roles; she was going to always play the innocent young leading lady.  Hathaway's next two films proved this trend, they were Ella Enchanted, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.  Ann broke her good girl routine by baring it all and taking an incredibly dramatic turn in the Oscar winning film Brokeback Mountain.  Since then she has had a versatile resume which included The Devil wears Prada, Get Smart, Alice in Wonderland, Love and Other Drugs, and landed a Best Actress nomination for her performance in Rachel Getting Married.  In 2012 Ann will kick but as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, and will prove what a wonderful singer she is in the musical film version of Les Miserables.

I love watching actors/actresses becoming stars, and it has been fun to watch these two women's careers grow blossom (they have hit sour notes of course), but these women are legends.

Movies that Put Life into Perspective: Pretty Woman Edition

This past week was my first time at home since I moved to Boston.  I go into town on Wednesday, and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family on Thursday.  On Friday at Midnight I went Black Friday shopping with my sister at Target.  Then on Saturday my mom made Thanksgiving part two to celebrate my favorite meal for my birthday.  My family and I spent the rest of Saturday watching movies and spending time together.  My parents fell asleep (as usual) but woke up and ended up watching Pretty Woman with my sister and I.

Pretty Woman (1990) is the story of the millionaire/billionaire Richard Lewis (Richard Gere) who picks up a hooker named Vivian (Julia Roberts) on Hollywood Blvd..  Richard has sex with Vivian and ends up paying her to accompany throughout the week as his date.  This was the film that launched Julia Roberts into super stardom; he performance in this film earned her her second Oscar nomination, and her first in the lead actress category.  Roberts and Gere had such amazing chemistry, and made this one of the best romantic comedies of all time.  Gary Marshall knows how to launch women into stardom; he has done the same thing with Ann Hathaway and The Princess Diaries.  While Marshall is not the best director this film has so much charm, and he has great loyalty to a few recurring actors.  Marshall has always cast Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller in most of his films.  Elizondo usually plays a much bigger supporting role, while Miller usually plays a small role.  This film is a fairytale come true, and was one of  my favorite movies growing up.

This was one of the movies that I watched with my family all the time when I was younger.  Do not scoff at the fact that I watched a movie about a hooker while I was younger.  Movies brought my family together and this is one the films that I remember always watching when I was a young kid.  I always remember my mom, dad, and I watching this film.  When we watch Pretty Woman we always say that our favorite part was when Vivian goes back to Rodeo Driver and she has her hands filled with bags and tells the women who pushed her away from shopping when she looked like a hooker.  Sitting with my family and remembering the old days was great.  While home for the holidays I sometimes get annoyed as there is arguing, but its times like these when my family sits down around the TV and watches a movie, I remember how nice being around them can be.