Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Legally Blonde. This is another movie that was on one of the lists that claim, "you must watch before you die," or something similar. Enjoy!
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. Based on Amanda Brown's novel, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, and Jennifer Coolidge. The story follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by getting a Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School and, in the process, overcomes stereotypes against blondes and triumphs as a successful lawyer.
The outline of Legally Blonde originated from Brown's experiences as a blonde going to Stanford Law School while being obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine, and frequently clashing with the personalities of her peers. In 2000, Brown met producer Marc Platt, who helped her develop her manuscript into a novel. Platt brough in screenwriters McCullah Lutz and Smith to adapt the book into a motion picture. The project caught the attention of Luketic, an Australian directed new to Hollywood.
The film was released by MGM Distribution Co. in North America on July 13, 2001, with 20th Century Fox releasing in other territories, and was a hit with audiences, grossing $142 million worldwide on an $18 million budget, as well as receiving positive reviews from critics, with praise for Witherspoon's performance in particular. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy. Witherspoon received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the 2002 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance.
A sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, was released in 2003, while another sequel was announced to be in development in 2018. Legally Blonde also spawned a media franchise with various adaptations, including a stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2007, a direct-to-video spin-off, Legally Blondes, released in 2009, and a prequel television series about Woods' high school years, Elle, which premiered in 2026 on Amazon Prime Video.
Plot: Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But there is one thing stopping him (Matthew Davis) from proposing: She is too blind. Elle rallies all of her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back.
Acting: My favorite title Legally Blonde for the following actors, if not stated otherwise.
Reese Witherspoon played Elle Woods. Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Silverstone, Katherine Heigl, Christina Applegate, Milla Jovovich and Jennifer Love Hewitt were all considered for the lead role but Luketic said he "knew on page five of the script that [he] wanted Reese to play Elle". "I wanted someone with gravitas and brains," he explained. "There had to be more behind the face, and Reese just fit the bill". Witherspoon was the first person who read the script, and it was not sent to any other actresses. Her four most notable titles currently include Wild, Election, Legally Blonde, and Walk the Line. My favorite is Monsters vs. Aliens.
Luke Wilson played Emmett Richmond. The screenwriters envisioned Luke Wilson as they were coming up with Elle's love interest Emmett Richmond. His four most notable titles currently are Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums, Vacancy, and Bottle Rocket. My favorite is Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
Selma Blair played Vivian Kensington. For the role of Warner's new girlfriend Vivian, Smith suggested casting Chloë Sevigny. This suggestion did not work out, so Slema Blair was cast instead. Her four most notable titles currently include Cruel Intentions, Hellboy, The Sweetest Thing, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. My favorite is Hellboy.
Matthew Davis played Warner Huntington III. His four most notable titles currently are Blue Crush, Legally Blonde, Tigerland, and Below.
Victor Garber played Professor Aaron Callahan. His four most notable titles currently include Argo, Legally Blonde, Titanic, and the television series, Alias. My favorite is You Again.
Jennifer Coolidge played Paulette Bonafonté. Jennifer Coolidge was cast as Elle's manicurist friend Paulette, a role which Courtney Love and Kathy Najimy had also been considered for, according to some rumors Coolidge heard. Her four most notable titles currently are A Might Wind, Legally Blonde, A Cinderella Story, and Shotgun Wedding. My favorite is Igor.
Minor roles were played by Holland Taylor as Professor Elspeth Stormwell; Ali Larter as Brooker Taylor-Windham; Jessica Cauffiel as Margot Chapman; Alanna Ubach as Serena McGuire; Oz Perkins as David Kidney; Linda Cardellini as Chutney Windham; Bruce Thomas as UPS Guy; Meredith Scott Lynn as Enid Wexler; Raquel Welch as Mrs. Windham-Vandermark; Francesca P. Roberts as Judge Marina R. Bickford; Wayne Federman as Harvard Admissions Counselor; Kimberly McCullough as Amy; Greg Serano as Enrique Salvatore; John Kapelos as Dewey Newcombe; Allyce Beasley as CULA Advisor; and Moondoggie as Bruiser Woods.
Background Information: Producer Marc Platt was intrigued by the character of Elle Woods when an unpublished novel manuscript was delivered to him. "What I loved about this story is that it's hilarious, it's sexy and, at the same time, it's empowering," says Platt. "The world looks at Elle and sees someone who is blonde and beautiful but nothing more. Elle, on the other hand, doesn't judge herself or anybody else. She thinks the world's great, she's great, everyone's great and nothing can change that. She's truly an irrepressible modern heroine."
Screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith spent two days on Standford's campus in the spring of 2000 doing research for their screenplay based on Brown's novel. Director Robert Luketic, an Australian newcomer who came to Hollywood on the success of his quirky debut short film Titsiana Booberini, was drawn to the project while looking for a breakthrough film. "I had been reading scripts for two years, not finding anything I could put my own personal mark on, until Legally Blonde came around," Luketic said.
Luketic explained that when the studio first green-lit the project, they were not aware that the film would be structured as a progressively feel-good, women's empowerment movie. "Initially, they thought it was going to be much more wet T-shirts and boobs than it actually turned out to be," said Luketic. (This was the kind of movie I was afraid it was going to be.) The first script for Legally Blonde was edgy and raunchy in a similar vein to American Pie. The murder trial was not part of the plot and the film ended with Elle getting into a relationship with a professor. "It transformed from nonstop zingers that were very adult in nature to this universal story of overcoming adversity by being oneself," said Smith. When it was decided to change the film's plot, McCullah and Smith finessed some details and added a few characters, like Paulette.
Although the film was primarily set at Harvard University, campus scenes were filmed at USC, [26] University of California, Los Angeles, California Institute of Technology, and Rose City High School in Pasadena, California.
Final Thoughts: I can finally say I've seen Legally Blonde. And despite avoiding it for so long, I really enjoyed watching it.
I tend to have an aversion to popular things, like movies and television series. I can't really explain it. If I discover it before it becomes popular, then it's fine, but if everybody is telling me it's great and I should watch it, then I don't need to watch it. It's one of my quirks.
So, I finally watched Legally Blonde after all these years and really liked it. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I thought it would have a lot more stupid humor, but it was bearable. I understand why it's a classic. And now, I suggest you go watch it, too.
My favorite scene was the final court room scene where Elle proved her prowess by outing the gay gardener and commenting on the victim's daughter's hair perm.
My favorite quotes are "Not in class, I waited till I got back to my room, but she'll kick you right in the ball... Or wherever, you know." —Emmett Richmond; and "He's a guy who follows his pecker to greener pastures and I'm a middle-aged, high-school dropout who's got stretch marks and a fat ass." —Paulette Bonafonté.
Rated: PG-13
Where to watch it: According to Google, Legally Blonde is currently available on YouTube and Amazon Prime for free or HBO Max, Hulu, The Roku Channel, and YouTube TV with a subscription. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film (and its sequels) to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
