Legally Blonde

I don't watch comedies very often because I think it's very difficult to sustain the jokes and laughter for the entire movie without becoming tiresome or repetitive. But once in a while, I will check out a comedy, especially if it has generated good word-of-mouth recommendations. That's how I first came upon Legally Blonde shortly after it was released in 2001.

Legally Blonde stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a rich sorority girl who seems to have everything going for her. She's popular in her sorority house, she gets top grades as a fashion major, and she has the perfect boyfriend in Warner Huntington III (played by Matthew Davis).

At the beginning of the movie, Elle and Warner are in their senior year of college at an unidentified California university. One day Warner sets up a date with Elle, and she somehow gets the impression that he wants to propose to her. However, just the opposite happens and Warner tells her that he wants to break up with her. He will be going on to Harvard Law School in the fall and will be a senator someday. He needs to find the right woman to stand by his side during his political career and just doesn't think that Elle has what it takes (and by this, it's clear that he means she doesn't have substance or brains) to be that woman.

Elle is devastated at first because she had always figured that she would become Mrs. Warner Huntington III, and really had no other plans for after graduation. But rather than wallow in self-pity for too long, Elle decides that the best thing to do is show Warner that he was completely wrong about her. Towards that end, she decides to follow Warner to Harvard, which of course means that she must first apply and get accepted there herself.

Obviously, Elle does somehow get into Harvard Law (otherwise there would be no movie here) and we then embark on a typical fish-out-of-water type of comedy. Elle is still hopelessly stuck in sorority mode and can't quite understand why her pink wardrobe, pet Chihuahua, and baskets of muffins get such condescending looks and snickers from her classmates. It seems that everyone at Harvard despises Elle, including Warner's new girlfriend Vivian (Selma Blair) and Professor Stromwell (Holland Taylor). This is quite a chance for Elle, who has always been so popular, but somehow she must adjust. And that's precisely what the rest of the movie deals with.

I thought Legally Blonde was a very cute, fun film. The subject matter isn't heavy by any means, and the movie doesn't pretend to be something that it's not. It's just a feel-good comedy that has plenty of laughs along the way and leaves you a bit happier once you finish watching it.
I thought Witherspoon was fantastic as Elle, and I cringe at the thought of what kind of movie this would have been in the hands of a less talented actress. Witherspoon made Elle completely believable as the spoiled rich girl, but she was somehow still likable because she treated everyone -- even the nerds --  with kindness and respect. It was fun to watch Elle's character development throughout the film. At the beginning, she was definitely a bit shallow and superficial, but all that changed by the end.

The supporting actors in Legally Blonde were also very good. I particularly liked Victor Garber as Professor Callahan and Luke Wilson as Emmett Richmond. In addition, I thought the subplot about the unlikely friendship between Elle and manicurist Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) added a lot to the movie. It showed that Elle was sincere in her friendships and didn't judge anyone by how they appeared on the outside (nerdy, poor, trashy, etc.), which is why she had such a hard time coming to terms with the fact that other people didn't extend her the same courtesy.

Overall, I think that Legally Blonde is much better than your average "chick flick" and is definitely worth a rental. The law school aspect of the movie seems to be central to the plot, but that's actually not the case. This movie is all about Elle Woods, and you won't soon forget Reese Witherspoon in this role.