TMS Discussion: How Romantic Comedies Portray Prostitution

(Geffen Film Co. / Warner Bros Pictures)

NOTE: This article was originally written for The Times of San Diego in 2016

While watching Pretty Woman (1990) last night, it occurred to me how unique and slightly outdated the storyline is in 2022. Then afterwards, I did some research to see exactly how many romantic comedies there are out there that involve a sex worker getting together with an ordinary, decent guy. In terms of light-heartedness and charisma, I found five: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Irma la Douce (1963), Night Shift (1982), Risky Business (1983) and Pretty Woman. Tiffany’s is about a NYC escort (Audrey Hepburn) who falls in love with her male neighbor and new best friend (George Peppard). Irma has a rookie police officer (Jack Lemmon) who tries to buy a pretty prostitute (Shirley MacLaine) all of her time. Shift has two down on their luck men (Michael Keaton and Henry Winkler) create their own brothel and Winkler’s character falls for one of their employees (Shelley Long). Business stars Tom Cruise in his first lead role losing his virginity to a young, pricy Rebecca de Mornay. And Woman has a rich, corporate raider (Richard Gere) pay an LA hooker (Julia Roberts) $3000 to be his date for a full week.

With the exception of Business—which is one of only six movies filmmaker Paul Brickman has been involved with—all of these films were directed by men who know how to make hit comedies: Blake Edwards [Tiffany’s], Billy Wilder [Irma], Ron Howard [Night Shift] and Garry Marshall [Pretty Woman]. Of course it would take someone who’s a pro at filmmaking to seriously see potential in a romantic comedy featuring prostitution. The bluntest, yet wholesome, of the lot would probably be Night Shift; which at its core basically has a pimp (or ‘love brokers’ as Keaton’s character refers to themselves) falling in love with a whore. But the way the film is written and directed make the whole comedic scenario charmingly more about business and courtship than sex. Thanks to Howard’s whimsical style, and Winkler’s and Long’s likability.

(Paramount Pictures)

Wilder’s Irma la Douce—which is actually Alexandre Breffort’s 1956 stage musical without the musical numbers—also has a lot of charm, thanks to the Wilder/Lemmon/MacLaine reunion following The Apartment (1960). Here we see the title character is a very cute, sweet street walker. But the funny thing is MacLaine didn’t really care for the final product; calling the humor ‘clumsy and crude,’ despite her eventual Best Actress Oscar nomination and audiences loving her flirt with a befuddled Lemmon after he’s lost his police job.

So what exactly is the appeal and what made this trope so intriguing back in the day? Can it be replicated again? Well, the 21st century did have its efforts, both with Luke Greenfield’s Risky Business knockoff The Girl Next Door (2004), featuring Elisha Cuthbert as a pornstar instead of a prostitute; and Will Gluck’s Easy A (2010) starring Emma Stone as a high schooler who gets paid to pretend she hooks up with her male classmates. But those films barely found followings and only did modestly at the box-office. Over the years, some viewers have complained about these types of pictures glamorizing prostitution and are overly unrealistic. It’s messy for young girls to love Hepburn’s Holly Golightly and Roberts’ Vivian Ward. There is a point to be made about that, and how all of these movies are portrayed like modern fairytales. Even Cruise in Business being the Cinderella, and Woman has a more modern take on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Maybe the nay-sayers have a point to an extent.

(Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures)

I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Risky Business and Pretty Woman when I was young, and thought they were great and romantic. I didn’t view Irma la Douce or Night Shift for the first time until I was already an adult, and still found them enjoyable. But the enjoyableness is definitely one where you have to suspend disbelief and accept the fantasy. One of the easiest ways to suspend disbelief with fiction is with comedies. I can now see why the ‘hooker with a heart of gold’ trope is a little problematic. In the filmmakers’ defenses, Woman still manages to reference reminders of HIV/AIDS, pimp abuse and possible rape in the otherwise dreamlike view of prostitution. Business has de Mornay’s character constantly running away from her pimp; and Edwards keeps Holly’s backstory just as dark as it is in Truman Capote’s original 1958 novella of Tiffany’s.

I don’t think ‘hooker romcoms’ will probably ever make a comeback, what with how much more aware general audiences are on sex trafficking and third wave feminism occurring. But from a historical standpoint or just for entertainment, the old features could still be enjoyed. And they could also be wake-up calls that happy endings don’t always occur in real life as they do in cinema.