8. Pretty Woman
Rocky for women. Or was that Million Dollar Baby? Regardless, this is a story about a troubled woman who's faced a lot of hardships who comes out on top in the end. (Not pun intended.) But seriously, you try being a prostitute. That's no dream job. So when Richard Gere, the lonely billionaire, comes along and offers her the chance of a lifetime. If she's his escort to events for the week, she'll get three grand and access to his credit cards. Wha-boom! But that's not to say there isn't a lot of conflict and heartbreak. People treat Vivian, Julia Roberts, like trash. She's snubbed by rich folk throughout, is riddled with self doubt and personal troubles, and is nearly raped by Phillip, Jason Alexander. I'm aware that this is all highly dramatized, that it probably wouldn't play out like this. But the film makes guys want to be chivalrous. Edward, Gere, is a charming, handsome, kind guy who falls in love with a pretty woman. But she's more than just pretty, she's beautiful inside and out. Part of what Vivian is dealing with is the doubt that no one could ever truly love her, considering her line of work. But it isn't true. What Edward is dealing with is that people, specifically good women, only see him as a dollar sign, that he's worthless if he didn't have his money. Where the two end up together is loving each other for who they are outside of what the public sees. The money doesn't matter to Vivian and her job doesn't matter to him. When they're separate they're unimportant, but when they're together they're who they are meant to be. If that's not a sweet sentiment, and an honest to God truth, I don't know what is.