Legally Blonde **** (2001, Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter, Raquel Welch) – Classic Movie Review 699

Director Robert Luketic’s 2001 comedy was a huge smash hit and triumph for its star, Reese Witherspoon, who eagerly devours a gift of a part in this hilarious mix of Clueless and Working Girl that took box-offices everywhere by storm.

High-school cutie Elle Woods (Witherspoon) has it all (‘I grew up in Bel Air across the street from Aaron Spelling. I think most people would agree that’s a lot better than some stinky old Vanderbilt.’). She’s the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde.

She dates the cutest fraternity boy (Matthew Davis) and wants to be nothing more than his wife, Mrs Warner Huntington III. Then her posh boyfriend Warner dumps her because she doesn’t fit his new yuppie image, packs up for Harvard Law School and reunites with his old flame from prep school (Selma Blair).

But boy, is he wrong! Elle may look a dumb blonde in her pink frocks, but she’s as smart and sassy as they come. Despite being devastated, Elle rallies all her resources and, although studying fashion design, she also qualifies for Harvard, determined to show she’s got brains and get her man back, battling on behalf of blondes everywhere.

But once there, she learns she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined, eventually taking on a big murder case in Beverly Hills. Elle must wage the battle of her life, for her guy, for herself and for all blondes who suffer the endless indignity of being underestimated in their everyday lives.

Legally Blonde is a delicious, feel-good comedy with many bright moments, some very funny lines and a feisty, appealing performance from Witherspoon, who eagerly devours a gift of a part as a trashy, dizzy, blonde prom queen. But the movie’s fun starts to ebb away around half way, and in the end doesn’t amount to a whole huge lot, though it’s still very lively and entertaining.

However, un-coolly in a film that seeks to be cool, gays are peripheralised and treated as objects of casual, dismissive humour, while men are treated contemptuously, with Victor Garber struggling in a large but thankless part as Elle’s sexist law tutor, Professor Callahan.

It is a real chick flick, and men might find themselves on an alien planet. Sadly, special guest star Raquel Welch has zero to do and is unrecognisable as Mrs Windham Vandermark.

Writer Amanda Brown is a blonde lawyer herself.

Also in the cast are Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter, Jessica Cauffiel, Alanna Ubach, Oz Perkins and Linda Cardellini.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde followed in 2003.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 699 derekwinnert.com