Rom-coms are a tried and true genre in the film world, one capable of making tons of money and piercing the pop culture lexicon. 1990’s Pretty Woman is widely considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time, in no small part thanks to the chemistry shared by Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. The latter actor doesn’t think he and Roberts could recreate their Pretty Woman chemistry, but I disagree.
Pretty Woman (which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription) is truly iconic, and has influenced countless rom-coms that followed. While fans like myself would love to see this pair of A-listers share the screen again (especially after Roberts returned to rom-coms with Ticket to Paradise) Gere recently cast doubt on that possibility. While speaking with Deadline about the movie’s success, he shared why doesn’t think they could strike gold twice. In his words:
That was lightning in a bottle; you can’t make that happen again. If that was easy and you can do it again, the computer would do it. It was a moment in all of our lives. She can’t be in that same place then, I can’t be in that place. We don’t have Garry to hold it all together, his lightness, sense of humor and romanticism.
There you have it. It sounds like Richard Gere isn’t convinced that another rom-com with Julia Roberts would ended up being a success. On top of the timing of Pretty Woman being excellent, he also credits late filmmaker Garry Marshall as the reason why the 1990 film worked.
Indeed, Garry Marshall has a lasting legacy, both as a filmmaker and as an actor. And other actors like The Princess Diaries‘ Anne Hathaway have credited him as the reason why their movie worked.
Then again, Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are wildly good actors who no doubt have the talent and name recognition that could make another romantic comedy project work (assuming that the material is good). So I think that the Chicago actor’s comments aren’t necessarily true, unless they were trying to make a sequel to Pretty Woman.
I previously mentioned Ticket to Paradise, but it seems like a prime example as to why Gere and Roberts could totally pull off another rom-com. The movie (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription) was totally delightful, largely because of the outstanding movie stars who were at its center: Roberts and George Clooney. So clearly there’s an audience for rom-coms focusing on that caliber of actor, which Gere definitely is.
Hopefully the success of Ticket to Paradise inspires more romantic comedies featuring iconic actors like Clooney and Roberts. For example, some fans are hoping that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan get one more rom-com. In the meantime, check the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.