Iconic $460M Romcom Almost Got Ruined by a Heartbreaking Alternate Ending

Though the 90s and the 00s rom coms aren’t often matching up with the expectations we put up for a romantic story today, there are many of them that still remain classic. They are sweet in their own way, the actors’ chemistry is great, and even when you cannot really get behind the message, it’s just nice to give them a rewatch now and then as a guilty pleasure.

After all, with so many stories surrounding us in real life, a little fictional fairy tale that leads one to restore their fate in love and humanity couldn’t really hurt.

For many fans of romance Pretty Woman remains one of those guilty pleasure watches to this day. No matter what behind-the-scenes drama took place, the end result made everyone believe in passionate love between Julia Roberts’ Vivan and Richard Geere’s Edward.

However, not many viewers know that the sweet finale of a movie could’ve been (and was intended to be) completely different.

Pretty Woman Original Screenplay

Rated 65% by critics and 68% by audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, Pretty Woman may not be the most intelligent or exciting movie you'll ever see, but at the time of its release in 1990, it was quite groundbreaking, approaching the topic of sexuality in mass media from a side not many creators dared.

Originally written by J. F. Lawton, the screenplay was much darker and grittier than you could ever imagine Pretty Woman to be. At the time, however, Disney was sure that the story would only be commercially successful if it had a happy ending, so the way the movie ended was a collaborative effort between a number of writers.

Director Garry Marshall, who was already attached to the project at the time, also had his own vision and ideas for the finale. Vivian ending up alone in Disneyland, leaving Edward behind, wasn't what he had in mind:

“The chemistry between Roberts and Gere was perfect. The actors brought such a lovability and charm that I didn’t think the audience would want a dark ending, and it didn’t hurt that I am from the school of happy endings,” Marshall said.

Luckily, in a collaborative effort, they all managed to come up with a scenario that would perfectly satisfy and impress the audience.

So much so, in fact, that Pretty Woman ended up raking in a $460 million jackpot at the box office and forever writing its title in the history of romantic comedies.

If you're feeling nostalgic, Pretty Woman is available for streaming on Peacock or Hulu.

Source: Vanity Fair