I have addressed the Richard Gere hotness quotient before back in January, but now I want to truly evaluate when Richard Gere was the hottest. An Officer and a Gentleman, while not being his first leading role, was the role that arguably broke him out into the hearthrob mainstream in 1982. Gere - getting to workout, be sly, cool, vulnerable, and in a uniform - is obvious bait for just about anyone. But is this when Richard Gere was his absolute hottest? I think these movies have a case for the belt:
Days of Heaven
American Gigolo
An Officer and a Gentleman
Internal Affairs
Pretty Woman
Primal Fear
Runaway Bride
Unfaithful
Chicago
Nights in Rodanthe
To begin, I think we can immediately eliminate Days of Heaven, Internal Affairs, and Primal Fear. Days of Heaven, his bumblingness is not attractive, nor is his murderous reputation. Internal Affairs and Primal Fear because while he lends himself to being great in those thrillers, he is not meant to be this shining sex symbol. For that reason, too, I believe we can eliminate Unfaithful. I am not kink shaming cucks, if that’s what you are into, but it is unbecoming, as is jealousy.
I also believe that while Gere has a great look to play someone with a villainous tendency, it takes away from his sex appeal in the movie. Yes, we understand why people buy into the Billy Flynn character, but Chicago is not it. For that reason, As discussed previously, I think we need to eliminate American Gigolo. His shittiness in that film is unbecoming. I will get rid of Runaway Bride too because, let’s be honest, there is one true Roberts-Gere mashup that matters.
So the real question is, which version of Gere do you find the most attractive? Is it young, suave Gere in Officer? Is it the older, mature millionaire/billionaire in Pretty Woman? Or is it the aging DILF in Rodanthe? None are incorrect choices, to be fair. But, at the end of the day, I think it is Pretty Woman. It’s the film he is arguably known for the most. It is what solidified him in the cultural zeitgeist as a heartthrob, even if he undervalued and underpaid Roberts for her week based on her pricing. But this is the beginning of his silver fox era, where he seems that he’s just mature enough to have a grasp on what he wants and the world, but also not old enough that you are questioning if the age gap is too weird.