Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde: A Movie of Inspiration
Passage One
The comedy "Legally Blonde", starring an irrepressible Reese Witherspoon, is a new twist on the old adage, "Looks aren't everything".
Elle Woods is a super-blonde, super-rich, super-sorority girl from California. When she's dumped by her Harvard Law School-bound boyfriend Warner — because she's too blonde to be considered seriously as wife material: "If I'm going to be a Senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn." — she fights back, after a long cry, nail by manicured nail, first by following Warner to Harvard Law School, abandoning her major in fashion merchandising for something more substantial, then by proving that just because you're blonde doesn't mean you're a joke.
Of course, we know that Elle will meet every challenge that she faces and wind up with both a legal career and Mr. Right — even if he's not the original one. But we still root for her all the way because she proves to be a decent and generous person under all the ridiculous surface frippery. Indeed, Ms. Witherspoon won me over right from the start, during Elle's last dinner date with Warner. As he indirectly leads up to his bombshell rejection, her face becomes a symphony of fast-changing expressions denoting agreement and obedience until she breaks down from the shock of Warner's bad news. It's an expertly acted piece of self-parody that never diminishes her attractiveness.
The movie, however, is full of good humor. Based on the novel of the same name by Amanda Brown, "Legally Blonde" is a sassy satire that retains a message: believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Besides being funny, it's an ode to self-empowerment — especially girl power —and its target audience of young women everywhere will gobble it up like the latest glossy edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. (Based on the review by Paul Clinton, CNN Reviewer; Andrew Sarris, New York Observer)
Passage Two
Elle isn't such an unlikely candidate for Harvard Law; she did, however, have a 4.0 average as an undergraduate majoring in fashion merchandising at the fictional CULA. Moreover, she also has a very impressive background as homecoming queen and sorority president, her signature color is pink, and she's appeared in a Ricky Martin music video. Who could ask for anything more? She's an emblem of diversity!
Naturally, she's accepted. Nothing will stop her now as she campaigns all over Harvard to win back her man. Call it blonde ambition.
"Legally Blonde" becomes a "blonde-out-of-water" story as her snobby fellow law students begin taking bets on how long she'll last. Meanwhile, she discovers that Warner isn't worth all the effort. Succeeding in law school becomes a personal goal, and not merely a means to win back her shallow boy toy. She's a bubbly blonde with brains. Her points of reference may not be Plato and Socrates, but she proves that knowledge about Clinique, Porsches and lip gloss also can come in handy in a classroom or a courtroom.
The supporting cast is a winning bunch. Selma Blair is excellent as Vivian Kensington, who
has snagged Warner and is wearing his grandmother's six-carat Harry Winston diamond engagement ring on her "bony" finger.
Luke Wilson plays Emmett Richmond, a somewhat thankless role as a third-year law student who falls in love with the inner woman beneath Elle's golden locks.
First-time feature film director Robert Luketic is an Australian native who has been dedicated to becoming a film director since the age of 15. This debut project sees him well on his way.
Full of clichés and pop culture references, and peppered with trendy slang, "Legally Blonde" has its roots deeply planted in the style of another hit teen comedy —basically, it's "Clueless" (1995) goes to college. Whatever. It's a formula that's well done with plenty of laughs. (Based on the review by Paul Clinton, CNN Reviewer)。