Legally Blonde (2001)

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a fashionable sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school, while she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writers:

Amanda Brown (novel), Karen McCullah (screenplay)

Stars:

Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reese Witherspoon	...	Elle Woods
Luke Wilson	...	Emmett
Selma Blair	...	Vivian Kensington
Matthew Davis	...	Warner
Victor Garber	...	Professor Callahan
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Paulette
Holland Taylor	...	Professor Stromwell
Ali Larter	...	Brooke Taylor Windham
Jessica Cauffiel	...	Margot
Alanna Ubach	...	Serena
Oz Perkins	...	Dorky David Kidney
Linda Cardellini	...	Chutney
Bruce Thomas	...	UPS Guy
Meredith Scott Lynn	...	Enid
Raquel Welch	...	Mrs. Windham Vandermark

Storyline

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She's the President of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde. She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But, there's just one thing stopping Warner (Matthew Davis) from popping the question: Elle is too blonde. Growing up across the street from Aaron Spelling might mean something in Los Angeles, California, but nothing to Warner's East-Coast blue blood family. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. But law school is a far cry from the comforts of her poolside and the mall. Elle must wage the battle of her life, for her guy, for herself and for all the blondes who suffer endless indignities everyday.

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Plot Keywords:

blonde | reference to cameron diaz | law | sorority | harvard | 

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Taglines:

This summer go blonde!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

We see Elle Woods brushing her hair behind the opening credits. This is not Reese Witherspoon, as she was in England finishing The Importance of Being Earnest (2002).

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Goofs

The position of Elle's hair changes from in front of her shoulder to behind to back in front while talking to the counselor about attending Harvard

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Quotes

Elle: I'm reading about the LSATs.
Serena: My cousin had that once. Apparently you get a really bad rash on your...

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Alternate Versions

There are eight deleted scenes which are:

• "After the Break-Up" - after the break up of Elle and Warner, Elle stumbles down the corridor. Her two friends are shocked, expecting to find a ring on her finger. (Keep)
• "Rollerblading" - a short scene that was part of Elle's admissions video sequence.
• "The Betting Pool" - Vivian and others place a betting pool at the party to see how long Elle would last at Harvard. This comes in the film after Elle storms out of the party after talking to Warner. (Keep)
• "Elle's Revenge" - Extended sequence where she exacts her revenge on Aaron, one of the people betting against her. He would eventually go on to lose all his money, though. Even Elle's bullies get a chuckle out of it. (Keep)
• "Depositions" - sequence where they interview the witnesses, one at a time with all lawyers present. They make Chutney sound so dumb in this scene (but she's always dumb), Enrique is exaggerating the story of after incident, sounding like some character off a soap opera.
• "Delta Nu Sister" - this makes sense when you watch it, a quick scene of Elle going to see Brooke in jail, hoping to get her alibi. She identifies herself to the police officer as Brooke's sister, Delta Nu. (Keep)
• "Professor Callahan & Emmett" - little quick scene where Emmett confronts Professor Callahan after he comes on to her. (Keep)
• "Mrs. Windham Vandermark" - quick cameo scene near the end of the film where Mrs. Windham tells Elle she was once a blonde, and that her daughter needs a good lawyer.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.155 (2010)

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Soundtracks

That's the Way (I Like It)
Written by Harry Wayne Casey (as Harry Casey) and Richard Finch
Performed by KC & The Sunshine Band
Courtesy of Rhino Entertainment Company
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products and EMI Records, Ltd.
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Carried by a performance, and we're left with a subtle yet favorable impact

It is very rare that films are carried almost solely by one character's charisma, but Reese Witherspoon throws herself into the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, one of the most genial and unoffensive comedies I've seen in a while. Elle is a goofy, girly woman who enrolls into Harvard Law School after her boyfriend (Matthew Davis) breaks up with her at an attempt to lead a life of utter seriousness. Elle is a shamelessly blonde California girl, used to having others think for her, but she is not witless and without a brain in her head. She just prefers not to work it too hard.

After breaking her back to become accepted to the school, she quickly becomes exiled by her peers because of her bubbly nature and transparent naivete. She too notices her boyfriend's new stuck-up fiancée, Vivian, played by Selma Blair, as always, doing some fine work. Meanwhile, she also becomes acquainted with fellow law student, Emit (Luke Wilson), and her connections with him and her teacher will eventually land her a spot defending her former fitness instructor, who is on trial for allegedly murdering her husband.

One must be careful as accepting Legally Blonde as a film trying to motivate blondes, and not ostracize or provoke them. They are often labeled as slow, incompetent, and unable to perform simple tasks, but Elle puts many redheads and brunettes to shame with her quick-witted nature, her lovable quirkiness, and her beautiful and expressive smile. Witherspoon was born to play this role, and after seeing her as a venomous bitch in Alexander Payne's wonderful Election, it seems we needed her to appear in a film like this just to remind audiences of the good-natured woman she can be.

Legally Blonde, which would later spawn a sequel, a spin-off, and a Broadway musical, may become overbearing for some, because so much of the film is weighed on Witherspoon's shoulders and if one tires from her fast, the experience could very well be a tedious one. I was left fulfilled and never bored from this, and can always respect a film that is able to shred my cynicism and offer compelling insight that could definitely prove factual in today's society. What can I say? It did the job, in more ways than one. But then again, why trust me? I'm a blonde.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, and Jennifer Coolidge. Directed by: Robert Luketic.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Legally Blonde

Filming Locations:

Villa del Sol d'Oro, 675 W Highland Ave, Sierra Madre California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,377,426, 15 July 2001

Gross USA:

$96,520,674

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$141,774,679

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Marc Platt Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1