Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Julia Roberts is a spirited, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets a no-nonsense billionaire played by Richard Gere. It's a chance encounter that turns a weeklong business arrangement into a timeless rags-to-riches romance.

Without a doubt this was the film that launched Julia Roberts’ career into the stratosphere. Simply another adaptation of Pygmalion, Pretty Woman tells the tale yet again of a rags to riches girl who sweeps a rich man off his feet. Think of it as an edgier My Fair Lady. Whatever you want to call it though it is just as entertaining today as it was when it first came out and still a great date movie.

Touchstone has been very hit or miss with their catalog releases and this one falls a bit in the middle of the pack. You can tell there has been some scrubbing of the image from time to time with most fine and medium detail reduced to a blur. This gives the image a rather flat and dull look to it at times. This isn’t the case through the whole movie but it does serve as a distraction. When the image doesn’t look scrubbed there is still noticeable ringing from time to time and obvious wear. Fine detail is rarely there unless you have a very tight shot. Depth of image is good though. Film grain can be excessive at times and the color palette looks a bit washed out. I was hoping this one would hold up a bit better with age but unfortunately this is only a minor step up from the DVD release.

The soundtrack is presented in uncompressed PCM and makes the most of what it has to work with. Fidelity sounds dated and the soundtrack has a thin quality to it. The film’s sensational soundtrack selections do liven it up a bit and open up the soundstage just a little. Surrounds add to the ambiance of the mix but are rarely detectable. The dialogue sounds good though and has a natural timbre.

Extras are a bit slim considering the popularity of this film. You get some promo style features on the production and a feature commentary from the director. The trailer is also included along with a blooper reel and a music video from the film.

This is a great catalog classic and I really wish the presentation would have been a bit better. While it is a bit better than the DVD in some areas I would be hard pressed to recommend an upgrade unless you’re a truly committed fan.