4. Pretty Woman
Though it may be a bit too sugary for some tastes, Pretty Woman was the smash-hit romantic comedy of 1990, and made a star out of Julia Roberts as tart with a heart Vivian. Hired by successful but lonely businessman Edward as his consort for a week, love ensues, though not without complications and a lot of money.
How Did The Original Script Differ? The film was originally conceived as a dark drama about the prostitution scene in LA, and the abundance of drugs within. Vivian was to be hopelessly addicted to cocaine, and her week long escort of Edward was conditional on her successfully completing a withdrawal from the drug. The film was also, until a late stage, entitled $3000, a reference to the fee agreed between the two for the escort service. It was dropped in order to deflect attention away from the fact that Vivian was essentially a money-driven prostitute.
Did The Change Improve The Film? Your answer to this, I suppose, depends on whether you enjoyed Pretty Woman or found it too be a bit too cloyingly schmaltzy. While the film was massively successful as a romantic comedy, it would have been interesting to see if it would have had a similar effect as a dark, gritty drama. When you consider some of the names at times attached to the lead role -Pfeiffer, Basinger, Day-Lewis and Pacino amongst others were offered the parts or screen tested- the possibilities could have been endless. One element from the drug storyline remained in the final cut. When Edward burst into the bathroom to find Vivian innocently flossing her teeth, she was originally intended to be doing a line of cocaine.