Legally Blonde (2001) Review

Distributor: MGM Studios

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter

Director: Robert Luketic

Screenplay: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith

Producers: Marc Platt, Ric Kidney

Running Time: 1hr 32m

Release Date: October 26th 2001 (UK)

Rating: 12

'Legally Blonde' has gained a pretty large cult following with a sequel, a spin off movie and even a musical adaptation which was probably even more successful. So why has this movie gained this status and more importantly does it deserve it? Ehhhhhhhhhh...

What's the story? Elle Woods (Witherspoon) is a Delta Nu who is enjoying life in California with fashionable clothes, fabulous friends and an attractive boyfriend called Warner Hunington III (Davis). So when Warner breaks up with Elle because she isn't 'serious' enough for him, she applies to Harvard Law School where Warner is going. However once she arrives, she finds it's a lot harder than she thought as she deals with the brutality of Law and the prejudice of being a 'dumb blonde.' Now she has to prove to everyone, especially Warner, that she can be an efficient Law student regardless of her background and status as a blonde.

The main problem with this movie is the attitudes of different characters. Elle, when you get down to it, is a pretty pathetic character. When Warner dumps her she enrols to quite possible one of the toughest universities in America even though she's likely not to get him back. So basically, she's so naive and pathetic that she doesn't even realise how tough life is and that she would sail through Law school as she did in California. It doesn't help that Witherspoon plays her up as a caricature at the start as she obsesses over clothes, her dog and literally whimpers like a dog when she breaks up with Warner. Maybe it's played for laughs but that goes against the message as they're literally saying "tee-hee look how dumb girly and blonde she is" when the message is saying that you shouldn't judge blondes!

Why is everyone so prejudiced against her anyway? Blondes are more accepted amongst society compared to say different ethnic groups yet everyone at Harvard (with some exceptions) treats her as though she's inhuman! And there's no reason for it! Yes she's out of place but she isn't mean and she is determined so why does everyone treat her like an outcast? The message they're trying to convey is decent as no-one should be judged by their cover especially if they have potential but the way they convey it is really confused.

Luckily, when Elle does get good at her studies she becomes more likable and realistic. You do want to see her succeed, especially as everyone seems to be a butt-head towards her so it is satisfying when she does. There's a murder trial that takes up half the movie and the way she defends the suspect is quite clever. Speaking of which, the law stuff is quite interesting and makes the movie more unique as a chick flick.

Elle, overall, does become a good character and Witherspoon plays her strongly but you do have to bare her cartoony nature at the first half of the film. It's such a shame that the other characters leave little to no impact. Warner is the standard douchey boyfriend, Vivien is the standard bully, Emmet (Wilson) is clearly another love interest with little-to-no screen time especially with Elle which is idiotic since there is no time for a romantic connection, Paulette (Coolidge) is given a bit of a backstory and serves her role well as a confidant but her role in the grand scheme of things has little point. Callahan (Garber) is a standard snob who makes a sudden and out-of-nowhere move. The problem with all of them is that they are given little development, little screen time and for the most part little to no backstory! We need details on these guys or else they won't be interesting!

Really the only good aspect of the story is the murder trial as there are some decent character beats, Law stuff and the climax gives both the character of Elle and Witherspoon the time to shine. But even then there are some clichés. There's the misunderstanding that leaves the characters moping and doping even though it gets cleared up in 3-5 minutes. There's a gay stereotype in there that is either really funny or really painful to watch. There is, as stated before, a true love interest and the realisation that maybe the guy she was after wasn't 'the one.' It can be painful to sit through because it's been done before and done to death and thank goodness for the Law stuff.

Oh and the structure is probably a huge factor towards this. The editing is so choppy and the scenes are so quick that it never gives time for characters to develop and there are some odd scenes of slow motion, particularly in the opening credits, that feel kind of unnecessary. The music is forgettable and few that is except for the song 'Perfect Day' by Hoku which will not leave your head. Also on a side note, the 'bend and snap' routine looks ridiculous and is a terrible method of seduction. It makes you look like a T-Rex for crying out loud!

In all honesty, besides the Law stuff and Elle's overall arc there's nothing really much to this movie. There's barely any motivation and if there is it's petty, the supporting cast are non-existent, the message has a confused delivery despite its good intentions, and the production values are nothing memorable and the structure rushes through everything. It's not quite illegally bad as it is a fun chick flick nonetheless and I hear the musical version is better but honestly, don't think about it too hard or else it will collapse which is sadly my job to do.

'Legally Blonde' gets 2 scented pink résumés out of 5