Legally Blonde

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background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Pages For</B></div> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                    </B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                       </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Legally Blonde</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="474" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 259 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="e6483800.jpg" border=0 width="131" height="128" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Reese Witherspoon</B><B><IMG SRC="1311435a0.png" border=0 width="67" height="90" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005LZSN/reelmoviecriticc">Buy Soundtrack from Amazon.com</A>  </B></div> <div> <B> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005O5CM/reelmoviecriticc"> Buy DVD from Amazon.com</A>  </B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="575"><div> Legally Blonde *** (PG-13)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By Pam Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div>  Too rich, too thin…too blonde!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Elle Woods: Reese Witherspoon </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Emmett: Luke Wilson</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Warner Huntington III: Matthew Davis</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Vivian Kensington: Selma Blair </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Prof. Callahan: Victor Garber</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Brooke Taylor: Ali Larter</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Director: Robert Luketic</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Jennifer Coolidge: Manicurist</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A campus homecoming queen and sorority president becomes a legal eagle when she follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School, after he breaks up with her because she's <I>too</I> blonde for his particular ambition.   </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), sorority president of Delta Nu, who thinks her boyfriend is about to propose, gets dumped instead; because she's "not serious" enough (read…too blonde). Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) comes from a long line of senators, which he intends to continue, and as he says, "I need a Jackie, not a Marilyn." </div> <bR> <div> He's headed for Harvard Law, not the altar, which crushes Elle…but only temporarily. Determined to follow Warner to law school and win him back, Elle crams for the LSAT's and submits a personal profile video, highlighting her achievements as a Fashion graduate of her California college; and a campus organizer…of social events. Probably awe struck by her tenacity, and her sparkling pink bikini, the board of admissions accepts her application.</div> <bR> <div> Elle arrives at Harvard, potted palm in tow, and we hear a student exclaim, "Malibu Barbie lives." The first day of class, surrounded by eager law students and their ever-ready laptops, Elle, with great earnestness, pulls out her fuzzy pink pen and heart shaped notebook. A wry smile crosses the lips of Professor Stromwell (Holland Taylor) as she calls on Elle, who of course has not studied the material. </div> <bR> <div> She's bounced from the class for not being prepared and as she's fuming about that, Elle meets Emmett (Luke Wilson); she assumes he's a third year law student and he gives her a run down on the idiosyncrasies of each of the professors she has. </div> <bR> <div> Elle soon finds that Warner has become engaged to the very serious Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), who had agreed with Stromwell to exclude her from class. This sends her into a tailspin and straight to the beauty salon, where all worries can be filed away, at least temporarily, with a good manicure. Her new confidante and manicurist (Jennifer Coolidge) shares Elle's frustration with men. Though she is painfully shy, she tells Elle that her ex-husband took everything in the divorce…their house trailer and her dog.</div> <bR> <div> With renewed determination Elle decides to get serious herself, about law school and  to prove she's got the smarts to compete. The hard work pays off. Though Elle's reasoning and approach to litigation may be unorthodox, she cuts to the heart of it. She gets a plum assignment with Professor Callahan's (Victor Garber) law firm… along with Warner and Vivian. It's then that she discovers that Emmett is an associate in the firm with Callahan. </div> <bR> <div> A celebrity murder case crosses their desk. Callahan is defending Brooke </div> <div> Taylor (Ali Larter), a young exercise goddess who built a fitness empire and married a much older man…now dead. Brooke is accused of the murder and will offer no alibi. Elle was an aerobics student of Brooke's in California, and simply does not believe she could have murdered her husband. Besides, she's a Delta Nu! Elle's explanation of Brooke's innocence, having to do with endorphins, possesses a certain (though warped) logic. </div> <bR> <div> Callahan thinks Brooke is guilty, but he's sure he can get her off. Wins and losses are what matter to him. Elle believes in her and Brooke does disclose her alibi to Elle, invoking attorney/client privilege. Her whereabouts at the time of her husband's murder could ruin Brooke's business and cost her everything. </div> <bR> <div> Faith in people and a bit of naiveté have sustained Elle throughout her life. She doesn't judge people, except maybe to assess the condition of their hair or their fashion sense. But folks sure judge her. Blonde (read…dumb blonde!). </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Sure, the plot's predictable. Some situations are implausible.  But I was happy to learn that not all the best lines are in the trailer. <I>Hey, there's not one flatulence gag and no animals are molested. </I>There's a story here, and a few surprises. I like Jennifer Coolidge's klutzy performance in this one. I thought she was good in<A HREF="id947.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Down To Earth"><U> </U></A><A HREF="id947.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Down To Earth"><U><I><B>Down to Earth</B></I></U></A><A HREF="id947.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Down To Earth"><U> </U></A>and I loved her in <A HREF="id619.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Best In Show"><U><I><B>Best in Show.</B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I>Reese Witherspoon, as Elle, is delightfully ditzy at first, doing what everyone has come to expect of her. She ignores what some callous coeds think of her and continues to help out, in her own inimitable way, however she can. A different type of performance here than Reese gave in <I><B>Election</B></I>, but with some twists of its own.</div> <bR> <div> High art, it's not. But <I><B>Legally Blonde</B></I> is a fun film. Who among us, at some time, has not been pre-judged unfairly…or been prejudiced against someone else? </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div>    PG-13 (language; sexual references)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Pam Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>pam@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Reese Witherspoon: <I><B>Election; </B></I><A HREF="id111.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="American Psycho"><U><I><B>American Psycho</B></I></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div>  Victor Garber: <I>Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (TV)</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Luke Wilson: <I><B>Soul Survivors</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Selma Blair: <I><B>Down to You</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Matthew Davis: <I><B>Pearl Harbor</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Ali Larter: <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Final Destination"><U><I><B>Final Destination</B></I></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>