17. Pretty Woman (1990)
Some of Pretty Woman’s story points haven’t aged particularly well and it would never make it past the idea stage in 2021, but it remains a seminal entry into the pantheon of classic rom-coms.
It launched Julia Roberts to the top of the Hollywood A-list and she still hasn’t come down over 30 years later, while it even reigned as the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever made for a spell until Terminator 2: Judgement Day came along.
‘Cinderella, except with a prostitute’ doesn’t sound like a light-hearted romp, but the cast have charisma to spare and the glossy Hollywood sheen brightens up a tale that could have turned out very differently in lesser or more cynical hands.
