La Revanche d'une blonde

How can a man of seventy fall in love with a movie star? Well, I did and it's easy when it's Reese Witherspoon. Legally Blond is not a perfect film - the script has more holes than Swiss cheese and the sub-plot is as old as the hills - but who cares when you are looking at Reese Witherspoon who lights up every scene as though she were Times Square personified! What a doll! Of all the current stars she is the ONLY one who really hearkens back to the Golden Age of Cinema and she especially reminds me of Carole Lombard who was the ultimate funny lady who was a knock-out too! As far as I am concerned, Reese can do no wrong - she obviously has brains besides beauty and the two are a lethal combination.

I didn't go into "Legally Blonde" expecting too much. I rarely go to actual movie theaters to see a film (I usually rent videos/DVDs), but I got an advance on this one, and I was kind of sad it had to be this film I was going to see, but I had been invited along with two other people to see it and I wasn't going to say "no" for no reason. So I went.

One of the persons I went with just wanted to see Reese Witherspoon in a Playboy bunny costume, so I figured I was in for another average run-'o-the-mill sex comedy. But I was very surprised with the outcome.

So many girl-power comedies these days are made just for the sake of trying to prove a point that women are equals to men (I suppose that's the message behind it--what else was "Now and Then" made for?) and/or support for women. Fortunately, the 2001 hit "Legally Blonde" is not only a pleasant surprise, but an intelligent film, as well. (Sorry, that was my main "gripper" for this review and I had to leave it in.)

Reese Witherspoon plays California sorority girl Elle Woods. Unlike other people her age that are worrying about grades in school, Elle only worries about what toilet paper is the softest. But after her boyfriend dumps her and goes off to Harvard Law School, Elle is determined to go to Harvard and get her man back. So after putting together a very shallow video for the chairmen of Harvard, they accept her into the prestige college (because of her innocent sexuality, no doubt, as we see them gaping at Elle in a bathing suit on the video), and she packs her bags and heads off to Harvard with her little dog Bruiser; as the ads say, "Boldly Going Where No Blonde Has Gone."

"Legally Blonde" doesn't give up on the plot and completely divulge into dumb blonde/sex jokes. This film not only has a funny--if ridiculous--plot, but the jokes are, surprisingly, NOT crude sexual jokes. This film is not another "Scary Movie" made for teens: It has divinely orchestrated comic timing.

Sometimes the plot gets a bit too heavy--the whole teacher-hitting-on-Elle thing is a bit stereotypical for a film like this--but in the long run it seems to break away from the typical girl-power comedy.

Reese Witherspoon tends to play the same characters a lot, but hey, if she can pull them off, good for her. I don't mind if all her characters tend to be the same (to a certain extent) because they tend to be quite funny and cute--who can't laugh at her Elle Woods persona?

The film has a very nice co-star cast: Victor Garber ("Titanic," "Sleepless in Seattle"), Luke Wilson ("Blue Streak," "Charlie's Angels"), and Selma Blair ("The Sweetest Thing," A Guy Thing"--pretty much anyTHING).

In the end, not only does "Legally Blonde" come off very funny, but also very witty, good-natured and sweet: One of the most pleasant surprises of 2001, indeed.

4/5 stars -

John Ulmer

Elle is the ultimate stereotypical ditsy blonde. She is about to graduate college and has spent the last four years being very happy--and caring less about her future. She's the president of her sorority, homecoming queen and has a great fashion sense. Her plans after graduation are to marry her college sweetheart...period. However, when the boyfriend announces that he's going to Harvard law school and gives her the brushoff, at a spur of the moment she decides she's going to Harvard law as well! While no one would think she had a brain, it turns out Elle is at the top of her class and scores a nearly perfect LSAT--and she, too, is admitted to this prestigious institution. There, however, she's like a fish out of water--and everyone laughs at the audacious and seemingly out to lunch blonde. Will Elle fail or rise to the top? No big surprises here, but it sure is a nice ride.

LEGALLY BLONDE is a movie that has no pretense. It knows it's not great art and won't be winning Oscars, yet it also is clever enough to avoid stereotypes or at least defy them. It also knows darn well that the plot is utterly ridiculous but runs with it. However, this isn't so bad, as sometimes you just need to turn off your brain and enjoy a film for what it is--entertainment. I know I am a super-critical person (hence, my 7100+ reviews on IMDb so far), but occasionally it's nice to see a film that isn't an independent film, art film, foreign film or silent--all types of films I usually watch. Sometimes you just need some brain candy! Excellent acting, a nice light directorial touch and good writing make this a standout film--and a lot better than you'd probably imagine.

"Legally Blonde" is all about Witherspoon as a totally val blonde from Beverly Hills who goes to Harvard and makes good. Predictable formula fun, "LB" gets off to a good start with the freshness of "Clueless", pushes its own envelope of believability in the middle, and ends with a major feel good moment. Along the way, this fun family flick makes some good points about life's priorities. Enjoyable stuff for 13 and up.

Legally Blonde (2001) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a California well to do lady that believes she is about to marry her high school sweet heart. Her sweet heart plans to become a lawyer in hopes of becoming a politician one day and she believes she would be the perfect wife to support his goals and ambitions. He doesn't and breaks up with her because he believes she doesn't take things seriously. She looks to prove him wrong by going to Harvard and getting her own legal degree but will that be enough to change his mind?

This movie is directed by Robert Luketic (21) and stars Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), Selma Blair (Hellboy), Victor Garber (Titanic), Ali Larter (Final Destination) and Linda Cardellini (Scooby-Doo).

The storyline for this picture actually had more depth and better characters than I anticipated. The dialogue, interactions and circumstances are very smart and there's some good messages about not reading a book by its cover and labels. The comedic content is inconsistent but the movie unfolds well and is entertaining. There's a few aspects that were a bit much, but overall this is enjoyable. I would score this movie a solid 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.