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LEGALLY BLONDE Send This Review to a Friend
Given all the dumb blonde jokes, Reese Witherspoon strikes back with a vengeance in a featherweight film attempting to prove that brains are mightier than hair color. If you check any ideas about credibility at the box office, it is possible to enjoy "Legally Blonde," thanks to Witherspoon's magnetism and charm, which undoubtedly would be there if she were brunette, redhead or bald.
She's plenty of fun as Elle Woods, a fashion marketing honor student whose world consists of sorority life and attention to looks until she is dumped by her ambitious boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis), who is off to Harvard Law School and a planned political career and doesn't think Elle is good enough for him. What's a poor blonde to do? She has to get into Harvard Law School to prove herself.
Unlikely? Not when the male admissions committee is turned on by her offbeat video application. Forget any semblance of credibility as Elle, looked down upon by other students, begins to show her smarts, studies hard, is appointed to a select group of interns and goes on to become a student lawyer (Massachusetts law is quoted as saying that's okay as long as a lawyer supervises) who defends the accused in a high-profile murder trial. Naturally, by the time Elle is through she's regarded as brilliant by almost everyone, and has even taken time to help an awkward beautician whom she befriends (Jennifer Coolidge) get her man. And Warner is in for a surprise of his own.
Robert Luketic, directing from a frothy screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, keeps the comedy bouncing pleasantly enough in this tall tale. But it is Witherspoon who rules the day, perkily taking on all obstacles and demonstrating once again what a major talent she is. The cast also includes Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber, Ali Larter and Holland Taylor, with Raquel Welch featured in a cameo role. An MGM release.
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