I was ready - ready to hate this movie for its dumb blonde jokes, senseless humor and bad acting.
Instead, I found myself joining the ranks of Reese Witherspoon fans, marveling at the way she could take such weathered humor and make it something fresh. It was as though she were saying to us, "Look, at this bit of nonsense, and let's have some fun, and make a couple of important statements at the same time."
And fun we had. Actress and audience alike can appreciate that Legally Blond isn't going to win any awards, but Ms. Witherspoon and company work effortlessly to keep this film from becoming a haven for moronic one-liners and stupid sight gags.
Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, a Silicon Valley Girl and Sorority Queen who's twin goals in life consist of getting her man while looking FC (fashionably correct). Early in the movie, we get a glimpse of just how smart our blonde sister is, when a smug saleswoman attempts to sell her a shoddy knockoff at full price.
This is not a movie about a girl has guy, girl loses guy, and then girl wins him back at the final curtain. Instead, Blonde becomes a journey of a young woman who grows into a three-dimensional diva by exploring an unlikely career option in a foreign setting.
Our West Coast fashion maven heads east to win back her man by proving she can be smart enough to get a law degree (well, long enough to get him to say "I do"). West meets east with unpredictable results. In the course of about 90 minutes, our heroine manages to realize her ex-boyfriend is a joke, earn an internship, win a court case, and become valedictorian of her graduating class. Along the way, she also inspires one working-class friend to become more assertive, demonstrates her compassionate nature by accepting a former rival as a sister in spirit, and exposes a male professor as a pathetic letch.
And while the circumstances that Ms. Woods finds herself are a bit of a stretch, the enthusiasm and energy flow effortlessly towards a happy ending (with Luke Wilson) and its predictable sequel (Red, White, and Blonde).
Instead, I found myself joining the ranks of Reese Witherspoon fans, marveling at the way she could take such weathered humor and make it something fresh. It was as though she were saying to us, "Look, at this bit of nonsense, and let's have some fun, and make a couple of important statements at the same time."
And fun we had. Actress and audience alike can appreciate that Legally Blond isn't going to win any awards, but Ms. Witherspoon and company work effortlessly to keep this film from becoming a haven for moronic one-liners and stupid sight gags.
Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, a Silicon Valley Girl and Sorority Queen who's twin goals in life consist of getting her man while looking FC (fashionably correct). Early in the movie, we get a glimpse of just how smart our blonde sister is, when a smug saleswoman attempts to sell her a shoddy knockoff at full price.
This is not a movie about a girl has guy, girl loses guy, and then girl wins him back at the final curtain. Instead, Blonde becomes a journey of a young woman who grows into a three-dimensional diva by exploring an unlikely career option in a foreign setting.
Our West Coast fashion maven heads east to win back her man by proving she can be smart enough to get a law degree (well, long enough to get him to say "I do"). West meets east with unpredictable results. In the course of about 90 minutes, our heroine manages to realize her ex-boyfriend is a joke, earn an internship, win a court case, and become valedictorian of her graduating class. Along the way, she also inspires one working-class friend to become more assertive, demonstrates her compassionate nature by accepting a former rival as a sister in spirit, and exposes a male professor as a pathetic letch.
And while the circumstances that Ms. Woods finds herself are a bit of a stretch, the enthusiasm and energy flow effortlessly towards a happy ending (with Luke Wilson) and its predictable sequel (Red, White, and Blonde).