Legally Blonde (From Stroud News and Journal)

Legally Blonde

LEGALLY BLONDE (12)

CONTRARY to male belief a girl's worst nightmare is being dumped by her one true love for her lack of intelligence, rather than her looks, mind you if she was beautiful it would cushion the blow.

This film Legally Blonde is based on a book by Amanda Brown.

A blonde lawyer herself, she made an interesting study of the law student while attending Stanford Law School.

The film is both fluffy and feisty and I am sure will appeal to many girls between 12 and 25, as it covers the best girlie fantasy - a modern heroine who believes in feminine girl power.

President of her sorority, amazingly popular Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is convinced her boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) is all set to propose. So when he tells her he wants to end their relationship she is totally crushed.

He has a place at Harvard Law School and feels he needs to marry a Jackie not a Marilyn in order to succeed in his future political career.

With an eye on the six-carat Harry Winston engagement ring she had been banking on, Elle decides to apply for Harvard herself to win him back.

Passing the entrance process (this does stretch the imagination somewhat) she sticks out like candyfloss against the other drab university inmates.

Discovering to her horror Warner has already become engaged to Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), a twin-set and pearls girl in her class, momentarily throws Elle.

But being ridiculed at every turn by spiteful Vivian soon makes Elle more determined to succeed.

To everyone's astonishment she, along with Vivian and Warner, wins an internship at the law firm of their professor.

They are faced with defending a young fitness guru who is accused of murdering her husband.

Can Elle's feminine intuition help in this difficult case or is Professor Callahan's (Victor Garber) own agenda set to scupper any hopes of winning?

Making his feature film debut director Robert Luketic is definitely a name to look out for.

A three-picture deal with MiraMax films may see him on his way to the big time, if Legally Blonde is anything to go by.

Having green lighted such films as Jerry Maguire and As Good As It Gets producer Marc Platt has a list of successes as long as your arm.

However the first film from his own company Marc Platt Production was Josie and the Pussycats which left a lot to be desired.

He has a great affinity with the empowered female having worked with Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich and Jessica Lange in Blue Sky.

Young Reese Witherspoon (Election) was an inspired choice for Elle.

Her cutesy delivery of such lines as "Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed," are so guileless you are behind her all the way.

From her arrival at stuffy Harvard with H on her Chihuahuas mini coat and her pink heart shaped notebook, to the moment her natural logic sets her on an academic level with her peers, she is delightfully sexy, innocent and fun.

I found Legally Blonde a refreshing film, suitable for both genders and all ages.

The theme shows that all sorts of people can succeed whether they favour War and Peace or Cosmopolitan as long as they believe in themselves.

It is a comedy that says it pays not to be judgemental.

There is one low moment involving a stretch and bend in the beauty parlour.

That said, it may not be a great comedy, but like Miss Congeniality I came out feeling up-beat and entertained.

8/10