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

10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You
March 31, 1999
Touchstone
Comedy, Romance
VHS
B

This is a very '90s teen rom-com, based on The Taming of the Shrew, and even that inspiration is very '90s.  (Cf. not only Clueless, but She's All That, She's the Man, etc.)  Because it's the '90s, the "shrew" is refreshingly the most sympathetic character and she's not so much tamed as gentled by being treated with respect and affection, as well as a marching-band-backed serenade.  It helps that "tamed" and "tamer" are played by a charismatic and intelligent pair, Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger (before he hit it big and then died young).  Also the dialogue and acting are above average for the genre.  (Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith would also co-write Legally Blonde.)  I would've of course liked to have seen more of Allison Janney as Ms. Perky, the guidance counselor who writes bodice-rippers on her office laptop.  The Seattle setting and the soundtrack are also uber-'90s, from the sight of the Space Needle and the sound of Bare Naked Ladies' "One Week" onward.  There are a lot of Renaissance/Shakespeare touches in the film, from sets to dialogue to last names.  If I can't rate the movie higher, it's that it never reaches the dizzy heights of Clueless or Romy & Michele.  However, it will look like, well, Shakespeare compared to the next movie....