Movie Review: Legally Blonde (2001)

Hello, friends! 

Today at last I'm breaking my hiatus of reviews. It's been a few years since I did a movie review even though the whole point of me starting this blog. But it can't be that difficult, right?

Enjoy the following spoiler-free thoughts!

Legally Blonde (2001):

Premise: When Elle Woods's boyfriend, Warner, leaves her to go to Harvard, Elle decides she's going to become the kind of girl Warner would want to marry. A serious girl, aka a lawyer. She applies to Harvard to follow in his footsteps but is met with skepticism not only because of her outfits but her whole way of living; her undergrad degree being in fashion merchandising. Can a previous sorority queen turn into a attorney?

Based on: the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and Brigid Kerrigan. Screenplay written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Law and Order, Drama. It's marketed as a Rom-Com, but I don't think it really fits either of those genres, because while they are present in the set-up, it morphs into a court room drama about making all kinds of statements about the world.

Originality: I feel like this movie sparked a whole new genre which is why it's hard to place it! Another film people usually associate this movie with is Mean Girls (2004) but I don't think the color pink is a fair resemblance, because that is the only thing I see it being close to. Mean Girls is all about leaning into stereotypes to the point of destruction while this is challenging those stereotypes in a tongue-in-cheek manner. As for other films that are similar in my opinion, I can see Barbie (2023) getting some influences from this, not in a copying way but in, as I said, pioneering a new genre. I always forget about the play on words of "legally blind", but when I remember it I'm again awed by the brilliance of the concept and execution.

Length: 96 minutes.

Age Range: It's rated PG-13 for a smattering of language (from swearing to name calling) and innuendo. A portion of the film is about a court case centered around murder and affairs are accused and hinted at. In class debates can have some harsh words but they are all about learning how to have better persuasion skills.

Crew: Directed by: Robert Luketic. Produced by: Marc Platt and Ric Kidney. Cinematography by: Anthony B. Richmond. Music by: Rolfe Kent.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Davis, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, and Moondoggie (as Bruiser Woods).

Cinematography: The opening shots are well-known and are referenced in other things, for example, the show Wednesday (2022). Cinematography can help keep a courtroom story interesting and this does that without any unnecessary flairs.

Costumes: Elle is known for her style and her reputation for pink is not lying. She's not always dressed for the occasion (when lied to...) but she always goes full out.

This is what I want my hair to look like every day and I think I'm pretty successful in my effort.

Music: The first song on the soundtrack "Perfect Day" is pretty iconic, but listening to the rest of the soundtrack I couldn't remember where most of the songs came into play. That's not a bad thing, I'm just so focused on the story that I don't pay attention to the background music.

Quotability: The opening gif I have is arguably the most famous line, but there are so many other zingers! Besides the inspiration parts about not losing faith in yourself, Elle can keep the ball rolling in a conversation like no one else.

"Whoever said 'orange is the new pink' was seriously disturbed." 

Good For: Blondes! And for our non-blonde friends to get a look into our little worlds. I'm sure those in law could tell you about the accuracies for the profession, but regardless of the precision, I think this would be fun for lawyers to watch to get a new perspective and analyze why this holds up.

Worth watching?: At this point, this film is a cult classic, so understanding cultural references are enough to recommend checking this film out (raise your hand if you know what is "hard"). Besides that, there are many reasons to speak favorably of this film. Whether it's a comfort film or a "pick me up" or an inspirational tribute to fighting against the trials in the world, I believe it's worth the time.

Will I watch again?: When I first watched it I didn't fully lean into it and therefore didn't get the full experience. I thought it was okay, but no great shakes. Ever since then, though, I've been thinking about rewatching it, and when I finally got around to doing that this year it did not disappoint; my view of it skyrocketed. I definitely will watch it again in the future.

Thoughts: I relate to Elle in a lot of ways because, well, I'm blonde. And I have been treated like a Blonde---capital B!---many a times. It doesn't usually bother me because I prefer people underestimate me that have high expectations. But every once in a while I get annoyed at the stereotype and love to find power in thinking of this movie.

Part of what makes the movie so full of heart is Elle herself. Elle has so much integrity and that's why she gets along with so many people. She's brimming over with kindness! Going to Harvard is a shock because instead of people understanding her good intentions, they make mock of her. That's a hard lesson to learn, but Elle uses that power to be all the stronger for the people who need her, like Paulette. It can be very lonely to be in a place where no one has anything in common with you and it is important to find strength in your community. However, with the development of friendship between Elle and Vivian, it shows that we are sometimes too quick to judge others about outside appearances.

Elle is a diva but she's got brains! She has a higher GPA than I do. This is all about breaking the stereotypes about what is important, because her passions give her a step up in the most unexpected ways.

Don't try to fool her.

This movie is mostly about fighting against sexism, but I should acknowledge that everyone here is very privileged to be attending this school. From my one film class and my literature major graduate sister, I've learned that it's important to understand which stories aren't being told. Though I don't like the term, this could be boiled down to "first world problems". However, I think it's deeper than that because fighting against one kind of injustice always leads to questioning other social systems in the world. 

Besides, it's about working hard, which Elle does. She gives everything her all. I love that Elle finds that her passion for life can go beyond marketing and speaking for those without a voice or suffering from the same kind of social persecution.

There is also a sequel that I'm not tickled pink over because I feel it loses that sense of purpose that Elle had in the first one. It's played up more for laughing at ridiculous situations instead of calling out biases in the world.

But the world of business also has the world of marketing and franchises. There is a spin-off about twins called Legally Blondes. There have been reports of a third/a prequel.

However, further developments brings us to why I'm talking about this today. This is my entry in Taking Up Room's Seventh Broadway Bound Blogathon! 

I already commemorated my trip to Broadway this spring, but I still wanted to bring it up somehow so I decided to talk about the movie that I watched on the plane.

Besides, Legally Blonde did indeed become a musical! My favorite song is "There! Right There!" which is all about wondering if a suspect is "gay or European" based on clothing style, which is too true. The songs about Ireland are a little much for me, but my friends and I were cracking up while playing cards and listening. We also had a slight mishap while listening to the soundtrack; I was amazed that the first and second songs were so far apart! Turns out we were listening on shuffle. 

How well does the story carry over into musical form? The singing makes sense because it holds up the assumed frivolity for the sorority girls in the first song, but I'm not sure that it works for every situation. Then again, it is a musical so we must suspend our disbelief from the beginning. Of course the color palette (pink!) stands out enough to make a memorable set, I imagine. Though the props and sets people might get a little tired of it after a while (just speaking from personal experience with the color gold...).

Broadway show continuation is a make or break when it comes to the new cast. This was true for this show because it was such a big deal, there is a reality show about the recasting: The Search for Elle Woods.

All in all, the story is about looking at things from a new perspective, so even if it isn't your traditional musical, it's challenging the format and way things are done which is the moral.

Maybe the world isn't black and white; maybe we should look through those rose-colored glasses every once in a while.

Thank you to Rebecca for hosting! It's been an honor. Make sure you check out the other blog posts HERE.

Today is actually the Tony awards, so by the time I have this posted the results might already be out, but I'm rooting for Water for Elephants to win as many as it can. 

What do you think of courtroom dramas? What do you think makes for a good carryover to a musical? What stereotypes do you get put into? Thanks to all of you for reading!

Chloe the (Blonde) MovieCritic