Summary
- Vivian is confident and independent, showing strength in the face of judgment and difficult circumstances.
- Pretty Woman explores classism and the impact of prejudices on self-worth through memorable dialogues.
- The movie tackles themes of love, dreams, and self-respect, highlighting the importance of genuine connections and personal growth.
At over three decades old, Pretty Woman doesn’t fail to hold up, and there are plenty of Pretty Woman quotes that are still loved today. The movie remains a timeless classic, creating a great love story in the most unconventional of ways. Businessman Edward and escort Vivian make quite the pair, with Edward showing Vivian true love and another way of life while Vivian teaches him to loosen up and appreciate the little things.
Though complete opposites, they manage to connect on the things that matter most, even becoming vulnerable and opening up to one another during what’s supposed to be a six-day business arrangement. Most of the best Pretty Woman quotes come from Vivian, but there are still a fair amount of quotable pieces of dialogue from other supporting characters. The best quotes from Pretty Woman prove why it was a box office hit and are a mix of heartwarming, funny, and vulnerable lines.
30 “In Case I Forget To Tell You Later, I Had A Really Good Time Tonight.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
Julie Roberts’ Vivian seemed to be almost on autopilot from the movie’s start. She had been doing her job long enough to fully understand how the night would go. She was there to make her money, satisfy her customers, and then go on her way, which she had done plenty of times. Vivian also knew that most customers didn’t care about her, and she had no reason to pretend too much.
With that in mind, she came to understand that she had something special with Edward. He bought her new clothes, took her to a fancy opera show, and treated her like more than a one-time hookup, and this shows Vivian that there was more between them. When she delivers this quote, it is like she knows, based on her line of work, that it is necessary. However, she also seems honestly appreciative, making it mean more than it otherwise would.
29 “Fifty Bucks, Grandpa. For Seventy-Five, The Wife Can Watch.”
Laura San Giacomo As Kit
While Vivian has great one-liners when dismissing people she knows have insulted or looked down on her, she doesn’t hold a candle to Kit. As far as Kit is concerned, she owes nothing to anyone and has no problem putting stiff and uptight people in their place. When visiting Vivian, she already faces judgment from the hotel staff and isn’t willing to put up with it anymore.
While she has a great line for the hotel concierge, she notices an older couple looking at her, clearly judging her by her appearance. Kit won’t let these looks go, as she decides she will fire back at them as well. She looks at the man and delivers this perfect quote, and the kicker about the wife is just a great one-two punch. Their offensive reactions just made this reaction pack even more of a hit. Laura San Giacomo stole every scene that she appeared in thanks to her delivery of quotes like this.
28 “More Than Life Itself.”
Richard Gere As Edward
Edward is quickly falling for Vivian the longer that they spend time together. This quote comes from a scene where he is admiring her in the hotel bathroom. He walks in without her realizing he was watching. She is in the giant hotel bathtub, taking a “swim.” She is in Heaven so much that she just starts singing Prince’s “Kiss.”
Vivian is so engrossed in the moment that she doesn’t hear Edward walk in. He is there to propose his deal to Vivian but simply watches her happily as she sings. When she notices him there, she is clearly embarrassed, but she is also someone who acts quickly to rebound in these moments. She simply says, “Don’t you just love Prince,” to which Edward responds with this line, showing it is more than Prince that he has fallen in love with.
27 “My Special Gift Is Impossible Relationships.”
Richard Gere As Edward
Pretty Woman is a movie that is mostly about Julia Roberts’s Vivian. However, Richard Gere’s Edward also undergoes an incredible transformation throughout the running time. At the start, he is wealthy and powerful and he is not someone who takes no for an answer. He is very controlling in his business ventures and that is why he is so successful. However, when he meets Vivian, he finds someone who brings out something more in himself.
This quote reveals that this is highly unusual for the corporate raider, as he is used to finding that the women he dates never match up to his vision. He clearly seeks women with the same drive and desire he has, and he never finds them in his world. When he finally steps outside his comfort zone and meets someone completely out of his wheelhouse, he finally finds the impossible, and this leads to the moment of finding true love.
26 “There Was A Bum In A Fifty-Mile Radius, I Was Completely Attracted To Him.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
While Edward always struggled to find women who matched his high standards and ideals, Vivian also struggled with the exact same problem. Vivian wanted to find her Prince Charming but realized that everyone who came her way ended up worse than the last. Her joke that she was a “bum magnet” is how she sees herself, and that is largely thanks to her mother, on top of her struggle with finding a man who is worth anything.
“The first guy I’ve ever loved was a total nothing. The second was worse. My mom called me a bum magnet. There was a bum in a fifty mile radius, I was completely attracted to him.”
Vivian admits that she often finds herself attracted to the worst of men, and that is why she struggles so hard in Pretty Woman to realize that she might be falling in love with someone who treats her right. The fact he is also wealthy and self-sufficient makes it even harder to believe. Vivian wanted her fairy tale ending, but as this quote reveals, she was burned so many times that she never believed that happily ever after would come her way.
25 “I Can Do Anything I Want To, Baby. I Ain’t Lost”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
She’s there to make money, not to be his entertainment.
When Vivian first meets Edward in the movie, she delivers this bold Pretty Woman quote to him as he balks at her suggestion that he pay her for directions. Roberts’ delivery of the line is not only funny, but it also lets the audience know exactly who Vivian is. She’s there to make money, not to be his entertainment. And though she might not be lost physically, it’s also clear as the movie goes on that she might be a little lost metaphorically.
The line and their brief back-and-forth about paying for directions are also what leads the two of them to make their business arrangement. Edward ends up forking over the money to get directions, but he also ends up proposing a deal to spend some time with Vivian, kicking off the entire movie.
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24 “The Bad Things Are Easier To Believe. You Ever Noticed That?
Julia Roberts As Vivian
There are a lot of memorable quotes from Pretty Woman, and though this one might not be at the front of the audience’s mind, it’s still a great one. Vivian makes a good point when she and Edward are talking about how people treat her at one point in the movie. She tells him that the more people put her down, the more she believes the bad things about herself, but he thinks she’s exceptional.
Vivian understands that no matter how exceptional Edward might think she is, other people are still going to look down on her because of their own preconceived notions about her look or her job. She’s charming, smart, and funny, but most people in Pretty Woman don’t give her the chance to display her personality until someone like Edward steps in on her behalf, making for a great commentary on classism even today.
23 “Take Care Of You.”
Laura San Giacomo As Kit
Though Pretty Woman is Vivian’s Cinderella story, her old life features one character in particular that isn’t going to vanish just because Vivian spends a week in a fancy hotel. That character is her best friend Kit. She and Kit work the same streets, and it’s made clear with this one line that they look out for one another. Though the movie is mostly light-hearted, it’s lines like this that remind the audience that Vivian and Kit likely don’t lead easy lives.
Their job is a dangerous one that involves being up close and personal with complete strangers, and that might not always go well for them. The original story for Pretty Woman was a much darker one about the perils of their work before it became a rom-com, so it makes sense that this line would feature, with Kit and Vivian both using it to remind one another to put themselves first on the job and not get into trouble.
22 “Edward? That’s My Favorite Name In The Whole World!”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
Vivian doesn’t put much effort into flirting, she makes it obvious what her intentions are without her comments being sincere, presenting her as a confident, humorous woman. In her line of work, it’s understandable that she has to come on strong and cut to the chase, which is likely why she pulls out this cheesy one-liner to Edward after they meet, “Edward? That’s my favorite name in the whole world!”
Vivian gives him a playful nudge as she says this and Edward responds in mock surprise. It’s clear from the wide grin on both characters’ faces that they’re enjoying the lighthearted banter between them. Neither of them are truly attempting to flirt, and it’s really more like they’re mocking the small talk that might happen on a first date, and having a great time doing it. This early in the movie, their chemistry is palpable.
21 “Honey, I’ve Got A Runner In My Pantyhose. I’m Not Wearing Pantyhose.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
When Edward first takes Vivian to the high-class hotel that he is staying in, it’s clear that she doesn’t fit in. Vivian isn’t wearing much in the way of clothes unless counting her thigh-high boots, but her dress really doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Edward tries to remedy this with his coat, but naturally, she earns herself a few dirty looks from some of the other patrons of the hotel – and even some of the staff.
Vivian is pretty fierce when she’s feeling comfortable in her own clothes, so when she notices a woman staring her down she plays up to the situation, commenting “Honey, I’ve got a runner in my pantyhose,” while baring her leg and lifting her skirt higher, before laughing and adding, “I’m not wearing pantyhose.” Vivian isn’t about to let anyone around her intimidate her or make her feel guilty when she’s just there doing her job.
20 “Baby, I’m Gonna Treat You So Nice, You’re Never Gonna Wanna Let Me Go.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
When Edward makes the business deal with Vivian that she will stay with him for a few days as a companion, Vivian offers up a standard flirty line in fictional accounts of her line of work. She declares “Baby, I’m gonna treat you so nice, you’re never gonna wanna let me go.” Edward keeps it strictly business in his response, re-confirming the fee and flatly stating that he will let her go.
This Pretty Woman quote is one of the most iconic from the movie as it foreshadows exactly what happens. Even though Edward is fighting his feelings, he realizes he doesn’t want to let her go before she leaves town. It is a fairly typical trope in rom-coms that feature a business arrangement or some sort of deal between the leads. It’s like one character jokingly telling another not to fall in love with them. The audience knows that is exactly what’s coming next.
19 “They Never Are, Dear.”
Elinor Donahue As Bridget
Her line is meant to reassure Vivian, not pass judgment.
In order to bring Vivian into his hotel with no questions asked after Edward initially checked in alone, he tells the staff that Vivian is his niece. It’s a seemingly harmless cover story that allows Vivian to come and go from Edward’s room as she pleases. One of the running jokes of Pretty Woman, however, is that anyone who is even remotely paying attention knows that Edward and Vivian are not related.
When Edward allows Vivian use of his money to buy herself a new wardrobe so she can accompany him to different events, Vivian eventually tells the woman helping her pick out clothing that Edward isn’t really her uncle. Bridget isn’t exactly surprised. As someone who dotes on wealthy customers as a shopping consultant or a sales person on a regular basis, it’s likely Bridget has seen her fair share of customers who are not the relatives or the spouses of the people who send them in with her credit card.
She’s likely helped her fair share of women in Vivian’s position, or even mistresses who are hidden by powerful men, so she understands Vivian. Her line is meant to reassure Vivian, not pass judgment.
18 “Be Still Like Vegetables. Lay Like Broccoli.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
The expression “vegging out” isn’t an unknown one for most modern audiences. It’s especially something TV and movie fans are familiar with. Edward, however, is clearly not meant to be seen as someone who understands slang that still works today. It doesn’t seem like he spends much time relaxing at all because he is so focused on his job and his success. Vivian, however, comes from a world where 9 to 5 work and climbing a corporate ladder isn’t happening. When she gets a good payday, she takes the chance to relax.
Vivan tries to convince Edward that he needs to relax one night, just “veg out in front of the TV.” When Edward doesn’t understand what she means, Vivian tries to prove her point with this Pretty Woman quote. Very few people have likely pictured broccoli as the vegetable in question when “vegging out” until Julia Roberts named it.
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17 “You Make A Hundred Dollars An Hour And You’ve Got A Safety Pin Holding Your Boot Up?”
Richard Gere As Edward
Edward is an incredibly wealthy man who can get almost anything he needs with a phone call or a flash of a credit card. He’s not used to having to patch things up with whatever is on hand. And despite him knowing that he can fork over a chunk of change for Vivian’s work, he doesn’t understand the reality of her life, which is exemplified in his delivery of one of the most surprising Pretty Woman quotes.
He doesn’t understand why Vivian is using a safety pin to help keep her boot in place if she can make $100 in a short amount of time. He also doesn’t understand that her work isn’t steady, that it’s dangerous, and that some of her money isn’t just taking care of her, but also her friend Kit. Her surprise at his willingness to pay her thousands of dollars to spend a few days with him should have been a giveaway that she’s not rolling in money, but Edward is far removed from Vivian’s reality.
16 “It Was So Good, I Almost Peed My Pants!”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
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Part of the film sees Edward take the protagonist to her first opera show, where Vivian wears the expensive necklace and the now-iconic red dress. Afterward, another theatre-goer asks Vivian how she liked the opera, and Vivian responds “It was so good, I almost peed my pants!” The other lady looks taken aback at this remark, as it betrays the fact that Vivian isn’t as upper class as her outfit makes out, so Edward quickly intervenes with the explanation “She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance.”
This is a funny moment where Vivian’s personality shines through and despite it not sitting well with the others, it’s clear that Edward finds it endearing, and he is quick to fix the situation for her as he doesn’t want people to think less of her.
15 “You Know You Could Pay Me Now And Break The Ice.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
Maintaining her plucky, tongue-in-cheek personality, when Vivian and Edward reach his hotel room she suggests, “You know you could pay me now and break the ice.” Not only is it telling concerning Vivian’s confidence, but it also has the darker undertones of reminding viewers that in her line of work, she sometimes doesn’t get paid. That’s a real possibility for someone like Vivian who doesn’t get cash in hand until she’s finished her end of the contract.
Despite being a rom-com film, the story touches on the dangers of sex work a few times, especially with Vivian and Kit’s parting phrase to each other being “Take care of you.” This is just another small reminder of the reality for women working in the same industry as Vivian and Kit, though not likely one that many audience members are going to notice right away.
14 “The Sphincter Police Won’t Let Me Through.”
Laura San Giacomo As Kit
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…it makes her a bright spot in the movie, even though she isn’t in very many scenes.
While Vivian is staying with Edward at the hotel, she gets a visit from Kit. Unfortunately, since the hotel caters to very wealthy clients, Kit gets stuck in the lobby and has to get Vivian to come to her. Kit makes a point while on the phone with Vivian in front of the hotel employees that she isn’t happy with the situation by using this particular Pretty Woman quote.
Kit’s got a way with words. While Vivian might be bold and grab the attention of others, she does it with a wide-eyed and sunny attitude most of the time, only slightly tinged with sarcasm. Kit, however, has no problem being as loud and as blunt as possible when people look at her as though she’s less than because of her outfits, or her gum chewing, or her vocabulary, and it makes her a bright spot in the movie, even though she isn’t in very many scenes.
13 “I Appreciate This Whole Seduction Thing You’ve Got Going On Here, But Let Me Give You A Tip: I’m A Sure Thing.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
Vivian initially tries to get right down to business as usual, but Edward intends to approach business another way. She’s (for the most part) pleasantly surprised throughout the film as Edward keeps upping his offer until he gives her the fairy tale she’s always wanted. Vivian’s a sure thing, but Edward becomes a sure thing too, as the two fall in love with one another. The fact that Edward was trying to start a conversation showed audiences immediately that Edward was different, and that he and Vivian would come to share a valuable connection.
Vivian doesn’t have to spend the entire time with Edward getting physical. Edward, and even Vivian, are clearly two lonely people looking for a connection, even though they don’t know it right away. They end up bonding while watching TV, attending the opera, and having frank discussions instead of focusing on the “sure thing” of Vivian’s work.
12 “You Could Freeze Ice On His Wife’s Ass.”
Julia Roberts As Vivian
This is one of Vivian’s more underrated quotes, and it is about Philip Stuckey’s (Jason Alexander) wife. It’s an apt and simple description, and easily reusable for anyone who wants to use it to describe someone similar to the character. Vivian’s good at reading people, and she has a way with words to boot. If someone meets Vivian, they’d better hope they make a good impression or else she could make a similar remark about them.
In this case, Vivian doesn’t particularly like the Stuckeys because she sees how they look down on others. Mrs. Stuckey, in particular, is cold and uptight, something Vivian isn’t. The Stuckeys don’t appear to enjoy the experiences they’re having, but rather, they enjoy their social status. Vivian can see that immediately, even if Edward isn’t focused on that when introducing her.
11 “You And I Are Such Similar Creatures, Vivian. We Both Screw People For Money.”
Richard Gere As Edward
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Edward’s reflection is sad but true. Edward’s quote aligns more with what they both do for work rather than who they are, however. While they go about it in different ways, they pay the bills doing what is essentially the same thing – taking money right from their clients with sometimes unscrupulous practices. Vivian doesn’t really enjoy it, and Edward learns to change how he conducts business, offering to build ships instead of tearing a company apart by the film’s end.
It might not work for Edward’s lawyer, but Edward felt good about his shift in business tactics. Throughout the movie, he never really seems to love his work, so making a change after making a statement like this early on isn’t surprising. Screwing people for money takes its toll, but Edward and Vivian both change and feel better about themselves as a result.