Actor Spotlight: Julia Roberts
Check out these two movies starring Hollywood's sweetheart
This week on Do You Like Apples we are throwing a spotlight on Julia Roberts. Roberts has made a career of making boring men interesting. Here is another example of a couple of guys trying to ride that trend. Though, the Do You Like Apples team is switching things up yet again. Resident Apples organizer, Drew, and his wife Emily, will hopefully be introducing their own little apple into the world by the time this is released! Understandably, he is taking the next couple weeks off. Giving the reins to ole Billy Boy in the interim.
Helping us out is recent contributor Taylor Blake. She has been bingeing Julia Roberts movies and described the experience of watching her movies as “pandemic comfort food.” No words could be used to better describe Roberts. She was introduced to the masses in the late 80’s and ran Hollywood as one of our biggest stars all throughout the 90’s. She is a presence that is other worldly and approachable all at the same time. Allowing herself to take mediocre stories and elevate them to classic status. Use Roberts to bring you through what is hopefully the last few months before most of us are vaccinated. She is comfort food and makes this home life much more manageable.
You can find Taylor’s work on ZekeFilm and her blog, Crowd vs. Critic. She also co-hosts SO IT'S A SHOW?, a podcast about pop culture references on Gilmore Girls. Follow her on Twitter @tblake24.
Taylor recommends…
Notting Hill (streaming for free on Peacock)
Julia Roberts has been called one of America’s Sweethearts, but you wouldn’t know it from watching Notting Hill.
After a decade of romantic comedy hits, Roberts turns in a performance with not-so-subtle commentary on her image. She’s Anna Scott, a fictional movie star with a megawatt smile. Hugh Grant, still on trajectory to his rom-com peak in Love Actually, is William Thacker, the awkward bookshop owner who instantly falls for her. It’s the classic Cinderella story—that is, if a princess occasionally took breaks from being charming to throw insults and tantrums toward the commoner trying to woo her.
But she’s also just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her, which is why this is still a romance you’ll root for. (For the record, that corny line works well in context.) Notting Hill, named after the London neighborhood in which our lovers meet, is also the rare big budget rom-com that acknowledges the difficulties of adult relationships. Anna and William’s relationship is messy, full of scheduling difficulties, outside pressure, and arguments about communication. She’s caustic, he’s passive, and when the will-they-or-won’t-they tension apexes, it feels possible for a moment they actually won’t make it through their drama.
But Notting Hill is also an excellent comedy, so no need to worry for more than that moment. Grant’s iconic dry delivery of witty one-liners is in perfect form, and it gives Roberts a chance to dial her performance down to a level of realism not seen in her most famous ‘90s roles like Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Runaway Bride. I watched this movie for the first time the first time I was in London, but considering how many times I’ve rewatched it, I can assure you this isn’t a nostalgia pick. Notting Hill is both Julia Roberts at her most winning, and I highly recommend adding it to your lineup of pandemic comfort food movies.
Billy recommends…
Pretty Woman (streaming on Hulu)
There are not many movies that are completely elevated by one performance. Richard Gere has had many great performances in his career, but here in Pretty Woman is not one of them. Frankly there is not much else in Pretty Woman that is worthy of praise besides Julia Roberts performance. My goodness, though, she is absolutely fabulous here. Every note she brings is pitch perfect. Pretty Woman has its flaws, but seeing it explains everything you need to know about why Roberts was one of the premier movie stars of the 90’s.
Pretty Woman follows a businessman, Edward Lewis, played by Gere, who has fallen into a career that is legal, but compromises his values at every turn. Our opening scene involves Lewis breaking up with his girlfriend for not dropping everything she is doing to be his arm candy during business dinners in LA. So when he meets Julia Roberts' character, Vivian Ward, a prostitute in LA, Lewis instantly wants to use her services. Not for sex, but as a companion who can make him seem more legitimate during these shallow, but profitable business meetings.
Sure, this movie could have been more nuanced in its portrayal of sex workers. There is a story here (and history shows that the script was highly doctored to fit into the disney brand) that could have had more of an insight on the world of prostitutes and the male desire, but ultimate contempt, towards them. Understandably, they threw those themes out the window and amazingly transformed what could have been a risque story into a formulaic Hollywood romcom. From beginning to end you will never be bored watching Pretty Woman, but I just want to pitch you a new version of this movie that would have been even better.
I’ll set the stage here by saying the movie never gets better than the 15-20 minute scene when Edward and Vivian first get to know each other in Edward’s penthouse suite. WHY DID THEY LEAVE THE HOTEL!? Many scenes are memorable outside of the hotel room, like the opera, shopping, or polo scene, but Pretty Woman felt most original when at the fancy hotel. Plus, the following scenes in this penthouse suite continue to be the most emotional parts of the movie. Here comes my pitch, a Malcolm and Marie style movie with the Pretty Woman script and characters. One location, the penthouse suite. Two characters that have chemistry, but ultimately selfish motivations for their relationship. All leading to cute scenes and moments of real heartbreak.
Don’t let my unnecessary pitch dissuade you from experiencing Pretty Woman for the first time or for the millionth time. Pretty Woman is not Roberts breakout performance, but it is the performance that began her ascent as romcom queen. It is a pleasure and one of my favorite movie experiences getting to see a now star ascend in one performance. Movie stars will always hold a special place in my heart and Roberts is THE movie star of the 90’s.
Links
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