Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde
July 13, 2001
MGM
Comedy
DVD
B-

Fifteen years after a blackface C. Thomas Howell made it from an L.A. party school to Harvard Law School, Reese Witherspoon follows in his footsteps but strikes quite another blow for "diversity."  As Elle Woods, the blonde of the title, Witherspoon is sweet and bubbly, not to mention smarter and more determined than anyone gives her credit for.  The movie, like Soul Man, manages to both embrace and question stereotypes, although the script (by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith of 10 Things I Hate About You) is much sharper and of course more plausible.  (Then again, there are moments when Plan Nine is more plausible than Soul Man.)  Blonde includes not just the juxtaposition of Elle's Cosmo Girl outlook with the seriousness of the law, but also little moments that bounce off its peers, like the Josie and the Pussycats references, and the moment when Elle, like Bridget Jones, mistakenly shows up at a party dressed as a Playboy bunny.

I came close to giving this movie a B, but in the end I decided that, like Bridget Jones's Diary and Miss Congeniality (the latter almost the funhouse mirror reflection of this movie), this is something I enjoyed more at the time, enough to see the sequel as well.  That I laughed harder at a couple moments on the commentary than anything in the actual movie is telling.  Similar to Elle herself, the movie is likable and pleasant to be around, but I can't see forming a lasting attachment.

I decided not to go with the "romance" tag, since, although 29-year-old Luke Wilson is also likable as Emmett, the movie is actually more about Elle forming and preserving friendships with all sorts of women.  Among them is Selma Blair as Vivian Kensington, initially her preppie rival, but won over by Elle's sweetness like almost everyone else.  Victor Garber, who plays Professor Callahan, had Goldie Hawn as his first wife in The First Wives Club, and this is another "bland sleazeball" role.

John Kapelos, who plays the punningly named Dewey Newcombe, was Chuck in Roxanne.  Alanna Ubach, as Elle's friend Serena, is almost unrecognizable compared to her role as Noreen, Marcia's lesbian friend, in The Brady Bunch Movie.  Ted Kairys, who's Gerard here, was an Eastern European Technician in the first Austin Powers movie.  Corrine Reilly was the Aquarium Tour Guide in Josie and the Pussycats and is a Reporter here.  Wayne Federman, who's an Admissions Guy, would be Smart Tech Customer in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Gemini vegetarians