legally blonde harvard video essay

Den of Geek

How Legally Blonde Created a Feminist Hero Ahead of Her Time

Legally Blonde became an instant classic when it hit theaters in 2001, giving us Elle Woods—a feminist hero who didn't have to give up her traditionally feminine traits and pursuits to be seen as smart and strong.

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

Twenty years ago, Legally Blonde ’s Elle Woods burst onto our screens with her infectious can-do attitude and an early-2000s penchant for all things pink and fuzzy, from her jacket to her phone. Reese Witherspoon ’s iconic sorority sister who goes to Harvard Law School in pursuit of an ex-boyfriend—dressed in head-to-toe pink, carrying a copy of the Bible (Cosmo, obvi)—didn’t jive with the era’s conception of a Strong Female Character, a la Trinity from The Matrix , Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies, or Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise. Elle derives her strength from what many would deem her traditionally feminine character traits and pursuits, not in spite of them, like her undergraduate study of fashion and her focus on loyalty and cooperation rather than competition. While some fall for the trap of associating masculinity with strength and intelligence and femininity with conservatism and vapidity, Elle’s fans have always seen her for who she really is: a feminist ahead of her time.

Everything about Elle Woods is bubblegum pink femininity, from her wardrobe (“I don’t understand why you’re completely disregarding your signature color!”) and tiny purse dog Bruiser to her enthusiastic vernacular and name, derived from the 2000s teen fashion magazine, which also happens to be the French pronoun “she.” When Elle is frustrated, she channels the feeling into studying and achieving. When she’s rejected from a study group (essential to surviving law school), she politely takes her homemade treats and leaves. An early precursor to Annie Murphy’s Alexis Rose on Schitt’s Creek , Reese Witherspoon’s charm and relentless positivity help turn an archetype that’s normally considered shallow or even villainous into a fully-fledged character with depth and heart.

It’s easy to look at Elle Woods and the film Legally Blonde and discredit them both—and many have. She’s arguably let into the school based on her looks, and her own advisor made a mean joke about acing a class on polka dots, discrediting her fashion merchandising major. But don’t forget that she had a 4.0 GPA and a 179 on her LSAT (out of 180 possible points), making her a top candidate. She was also president of her sorority, involved in extracurriculars and philanthropy. Oh and that pink resume? It’s inspired by the true story of how the manuscript for the book that Legally Blonde was based on got scooped from the slush pile.

Legally Blonde doesn’t make fun of its heroine for her interest in feminine-coded pursuits like shopping or her penchant for the color pink. An early shopping scene, a spiritual sequel to the couplet in Pretty Woman , sets Elle up to be the butt of a saleswoman’s joke about stupid rich girls spending daddy’s money. Instead, Elle asks the woman a series of questions about the garment’s construction and provenance, the saleswoman agreeing to everything in pursuit of a sale, not realizing she has exposed her own ignorance and deception by doing so. Elle’s fashion education isn’t an air-headed pursuit, but a fulfilling interest as worthwhile as any other, one where accumulating knowledge can come in just as handy as knowing about political science.

Ad – content continues below

Legally Blonde is a fish-out-of-water story, so while Elle’s hobbies are no less important than how her Harvard classmates spend their time, they’re certainly different. She uses her specialized knowledge to figure out parts of the Brooke Windham case (Ali Larter), like realizing that gay men are more likely to know shoe designers than straight ones (even if that’s a bit, uh, reductive), and using her shared interests with Brooke to help make her time while incarcerated more comfortable and gain her trust, so that Brooke would share her alibi. The coup de grace, of course, is Elle’s use of perm knowledge to expose Linda Cardelini’s socialite daughter lying on the stand, causing her to crack and confess to killing her father, exonerating Elle’s client Brooke.

Throughout the movie, Elle is happiest in women-dominated spaces that focus on community and collaborative support, traits typically associated with femininity. When she was prepping for a proposal from Warner and then nursing the heartache afterwards, it was as much a Delta Nu experience as it was her own. Once Elle decides to go to law school, the entire sorority pitches in, helping her study for the LSAT and make her video essay. When Elle gets to Cambridge, she once again seeks solace at a nail salon, a place where women take care of one another and give advice, even if they are strangers at first. And it’s no coincidence that, when Elle quits working on the Brooke Windham case and wants to leave Harvard altogether, she cries her eyes out at the nail salon, where Professor Stromwell (a pitch-perfect Holland Taylor) overhears her plight.

Warner tells Elle, “If I’m going to be a senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn.” In the world of Legally Blonde , women don’t have to choose. You can be a shy manicurist, but also have a killer bend-and-snap. You can be a strict law professor who also goes to the salon and has her student’s back when a colleague sexually harasses her. It’s fitting that, for Elle’s moment of triumph, when she takes the lead in Brooke Windham’s case, Elle makes her entrance in her signature color: vibrant pink. Since her first class at Harvard, Elle started cosplaying as a normie law student, her clothing getting darker and more traditional to match her surroundings. She traded in her pink-lensed sunglasses for reading glasses. When it was time for Elle to have her crowning moment of achievement, though, she did it by looking and acting like herself, and relying on the knowledge and drive that got her to Harvard in the first place—pink sparkles and all.

Elle’s mother doesn’t want her to “throw away” being the first runner up in the Miss Hawaiian Tropics contest to go to law school, but over the course of the film, Elle proves that she doesn’t have to choose between the two. Furthermore, she doesn’t have to choose between love and a career, or settle for a guy who doesn’t appreciate her for the powerhouse that she is. While Warner is the catalyst for Elle’s journey into jurisprudence, he quickly shows himself to be something of a “bonehead” once they’re both in Cambridge, telling Elle she’ll never be smart enough to win a coveted internship spot, encouraging Elle to break her word to their client once she does get the internship, and then never noticing the sexism of their professor who only asks the women to fetch him food and drink. Eventually, Warner does come around, like all of Elle’s classmates and teachers, but by then she has the self-worth to tell him to take a hike.

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: The Feminist Sherlock You Should Be Watching

Speaking of Warner, when he shows up in Cambridge he comes with his preppy fiancé Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair, in a mini Cruel Intentions reunion). Vivian and Elle were set up to compete over not only Warner, but grades and career opportunities, like Professor Callahan’s internship. The film’s first act sees a bit of bad blood and back and forth. As the rivals see one another’s legal prowess and come to see the sexism in their field from powerful men like Callahan (and the way less powerful men like Warner either don’t see or pretend not to), they grow closer. Eventually, Warner reveals his low character while Elle displays her loyalty by keeping Brooke’s alibi a secret, and the two drop Warner and their competition to become friends instead. For young women watching, it’s a valuable lesson that other women and girls aren’t your competition—they’re your allies.

Elle and Legally Blonde aren’t perfect—her journey started out in pursuit of her ex-boyfriend, and classmate Enid was probably right that many women in sororities would call her a dyke and mistreat her. It’s a shame Elle never finds common ground with the one woman in the film who’s an actual avowed feminist. But people grow, and Legally Blonde allowed its heroine the room to do that, even after the credits rolled. Elle Woods has inspired many women to become lawyers , and it’s easy to see why. She believes in herself and others, fights for her friend Paulette’s dog, and fights back against sexual harassment. But even for those who aren’t interested in the law, Elle’s way of winning people over by being kind, supportive, and “using her blonde for good” sends an important message that traditionally femme traits and esthetics are powerful in their own right.

Delia Harrington | @deliamary

Delia Harrington a freelance writer and photographer focusing on social justice and pop culture through a feminist lens. She loves post-apocalyptic sci-fi, historical fiction, and feminist comic…

• The Little Mermaid Trailer
• John Wick: Chapter 4 Final Trailer
• The Flash Trailer
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Theatrical Trailer
• Fast X Trailer
• Strays Trailer

Legally Blonde (2001) Video Essay

To gain admittance into Harvard Law School, Elle (Reese Witherspoon) puts together a video essay showing off her finest assets and qualities.

• Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM)
• Reese Witherspoon

Related videos

• Featurettes

You Might Also Like

Incoming news.

Advertisement

Supported by

‘Legally Blonde’ Oral History: From Raunchy Script to Feminist Classic

Along the way, adult zingers were edited out, Jennifer Coolidge struggled with the “bend and snap” and the ending was changed at least three times.

• Share full article

By Ilana Kaplan

In 2001, Reese Witherspoon was already on her way to becoming a household name. But it would be the feminist masterpiece “Legally Blonde” that would cement her status as a Hollywood star.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Amanda Brown , “Legally Blonde” follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon) from ditsy, sorority socialite to first-year law student in an effort to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis). But what transpires next surprises everyone, including herself: The perky blonde with a tiny Chihuahua named Bruiser and a flair for pink discovers she is actually cut out for the courtroom.

It’s been 20 years since Elle, against all odds, got into Harvard Law, fended off a professor’s advances and came to the legal defense of a sorority alumna. She remains an emblem for challenging stereotypes and embracing female empowerment in the face of misogyny. By refuting the “dumb blonde” trope, Elle has become beloved for her sincerity and her insistence on unapologetically being herself.

In 2021, “Legally Blonde” is more relevant than ever. Years before the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, the Robert Luketic-directed comedy tackled workplace sexual misconduct and power dynamics. High-profile fans like Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian (who each paid homage to it in videos) have stoked its legacy, as has a 2003 sequel ( and a third movie due next year ), as well as a Broadway adaptation .

In advance of the July 13 anniversary of its release, I recently spoke with the film’s stars (including Jennifer Coolidge, Jessica Cauffiel and Matthew Davis), screenwriters and others about creating the “bend and snap,” Elle’s Harvard video essay and the movie’s enduring legacy. Here are edited excerpts from our conversations.

The original script was much raunchier.

KIRSTEN SMITH (screenwriter) We were sent a fiction manuscript by Amanda Brown [by] a couple of different producers and Marc Platt was one of them. It immediately struck us as one of the greatest movie ideas ever, and we pitched it as “Clueless” meets “ The Paper Chase ,” one of those law school movies from the 1970s. I might have worn a lot of pink in the meeting.

JESSICA CAUFFIEL (Margot, one of Elle’s best friends) The first script was very raunchy, to be honest, in the vein of “American Pie.” What we know now as “Legally Blonde,” and what it began as are two completely different films. It transformed from nonstop zingers that were very adult in nature to this universal story of overcoming adversity by being oneself.

KAREN McCULLAH (screenwriter) There were some differences in the manuscript. It wasn’t a murder trial, and she ended up with a professor, so we made some changes. It was a matter of finessing the details and adding a few characters, like Paulette and her friendship.

CAUFFIEL Originally, there was a line when [her friend] Serena says, “What’s the one thing that always makes us feel better no matter what?” And I say, “Cunnilingus.” That was actually a line in the film. We thought when we went to the premiere that it was still that edgy, raunchy edit.

Reese Witherspoon was always the top pick for Elle, but other big names were thrown around.

SMITH [Reese] was the first person who read the script. It seemed like she was just right on the edge [of fame]. We didn’t send it to any other actors.

JOSEPH MIDDLETON (casting director) We did “ The Man in the Moon ” and “ A Far Off Place ” when she was really young, so when Marc was bringing up names, and it was Reese, I already believed so strongly in her.

McCULLAH Christina Applegate said something about how she had turned down [the role of Elle]. Marc once [mentioned] Britney Spears, and I was like, “No, that’s not a good idea.” I think she hosted “S.N.L.” the night before, and his kids were into her, so he threw her name out there.

JENNIFER COOLIDGE (Paulette, Elle’s new friend and manicurist) I’ve heard rumors, and I don’t know if they’re true, that Courtney Love was up for [my] role. I heard Kathy Najimy was up for it.

SMITH I remember talk about getting Chloë Sevigny to play Vivian [a rival law student]. That didn’t work out, and we ended up with our queen Selma Blair. Selma and Reese were close, because they had done “Cruel Intentions” together. So their friendship is a great anchor for everything.

ALI LARTER (Brooke, a fitness instructor on trial for murder) They originally wanted me to come in for one of the sorority sisters. But when I read [the script], I just loved Brooke.

MIDDLETON I loved Paul Bettany for the Luke role, but he was British, and they felt like it needed to be a real American.

McCULLAH We always called [the love interest Emmett] “the Luke Wilson character” while we were writing it. They saw some other actors, and finally Joseph was like, “Maybe we should get Luke to play the Luke Wilson character.” I was like, “You think?”

There was a lot of field research done by the cast and crew: Smith and McCullah visited Stanford, while Witherspoon, Cauffiel and the costume designer Sophie de Rakoff spent time with a University of Southern California sorority .

SMITH We went to law school for a week right during orientation time. The scene where it’s a group of new students going around in a circle talking about it was from us eavesdropping on actual law students talking to each other for the first time.

McCULLAH The criminal law and constitutional law classes were the two that we sat in. Criminal Law was pretty interesting. Constitutional law, I remember crying a few times because I was so bored. But I did start writing some of the scenes for the scripts in that class, so some good came out of it.

SOPHIE dE RAKOFF (costume designer) [Reese and I] went to a sorority house for research while we were prepping. Everyone was wearing pink, so right then and there that gave us a throughline for the movie that became a huge part of the aesthetic and of Elle Woods’s personality and identity.

CAUFFIEL We [talked] an entire sorority into going out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Reese offered to buy them free margaritas all night. She leans over to me as the drinks are on the way and goes, “We’re not drinking anything. We’re drinking water.” We stayed sober as they got tanked, and we took notes.

Elle’s Harvard video essay was supposed to have a Judge Judy cameo.

McCULLAH There was an article somewhere that video applications became a common thing for a while [after the movie came out]. We just did it because it’s way more interesting to watch than hearing someone read an application essay.

ALANNA UBACH (Serena, one of Elle’s best friends) Judge Judy is supposed to be this amazing icon that Elle absolutely adores.

McCULLAH We wanted to shoot [Elle, Serena and Margot] chasing Judge Judy wherever she tapes her show and them being like, “Judge Judy! Judge Judy! Can we get an autograph?”

UBACH They cut that scene. They just couldn’t get Judge Judy on board. And I thought, “Reese, what if Ryan Phillippe played a really famous judge who had his own show, and we have him on billboards.” She said, “Alanna, no one’s going to believe that my husband’s a judge. Are you kidding me?”

The idea for the “bend and snap,” the maneuver Elle says has a “98 percent success rate of getting a man’s attention,” was conceived while the writers were drinking at a hotel bar.

SMITH Marc felt like we needed a big set piece in the second act, and we kept trying to think of how we could make it around Paulette and Elle. We were like, “Should the nail salon get robbed? Is there a mystery that happens?”

McCULLAH I was like, “What if it’s as simple as Elle teaches her a move to help her get the UPS guy.” Then Kirsten jumped off her bar stool and said, “Ooh, like this?” and she did the move. I forget which one of us said “the bend and snap,” but we probably both said it at the same time.

SMITH Karen is like, “Did someone teach you that?” I’m like, “No I made it up right now.” Then we went to Marc’s office, and I did the move. Toni Basil ended up becoming involved as a choreographer because once Robert read it, he got really excited to turn it into a full musical number. So, I found myself going to Toni’s studio and teaching her and a bunch of dancers the “step” I made up.

TONI BASIL (choreographer) I choreographed iconic things for David Bowie and Tina Turner. People interview me and they go, “You did the ‘bend and snap’?” It’s like, what, a one-and-a-half-minute number in the movie? But it was such an integral part.

SMITH Toni would call [part of the step] “the little chicken wings.” She was like, “More chicken wings, more chicken wings.” Jennifer does great chicken-wing hands. She puts the spin of hilarity and awkwardness on everything she does in the movie.

COOLIDGE Toni was incredibly frustrated with my ability to handle the choreography. Reese learned to “bend and snap” in about 10 minutes and I was the antithesis of that.

BASIL Jennifer changed it around. She pushed up her [breasts] instead of snapping because that’s what Jennifer does, because that was right for the character.

COOLIDGE One day I said to [Basil], “I’m not Elle, I’m the other character, Paulette, and I wouldn’t be really good at the ‘bend and snap.’ That’s not who I am.” And Toni said, “Jennifer, you need to learn this dance number and do your very best because even if you’re trying to do your very best you will still be the worst dancer.” It was a very sobering moment. But she was right.

Raquel Welch, playing the ex-wife of Brooke’s dead husband, wanted special lighting.

ANTHONY RICHMOND (cinematographer) She knew how she wanted to be lit. I had two sets of lights where I wanted them and one set where she wanted them, so she could look at herself in the mirror. I would dim one set down slowly and bring my own ones up so she never knew it was being changed.

DE RAKOFF She was obsessed with light. When I went through the fitting at her house, and we were talking about the courtroom scene, she was like, “I need to wear this hat.” It was a big, black straw hat; inside of that giant brim had a second layer of white straw that the light would bounce off so that she could get more bounce on her face. She basically created her own hat that had a built-in bounce board.

COOLIDGE All I know is she didn’t need her own lighting. She looks strangely youthful and sexy. Her face and her tiny hands, she made a deal with the devil. She looks like a billion bucks.

Some of the cast had real-life crushes during filming.

UBACH I discovered that [Matthew had a crush on Selma] during the trial scene. We could see that heart beating every time he was around her. He was so nervous, and I thought, “How could someone looking like that be as nervous as he is?”

MATTHEW DAVIS (Warner) I’ll adore her till the day I die. I will always cherish her taking care of me and looking after me because I was so damn green.

CAUFFIEL I think [Matthew] had a crush on everybody. At one point, he had a crush on Alanna.

COOLIDGE I had a crush on [Bruce Thomas, who played] my UPS man. But he was married and had a beautiful wife and children, so I had to shut that off. I didn’t have to act or get excited when he walked in — it was all true to life.

CAUFFIEL Everybody had a crush on Luke, but Luke was dating two supermodels at the time.

Test audiences didn’t like the original ending, so it was reshot to show Elle at her law school graduation.

CAUFFIEL The first ending was Elle and Vivian in Hawaii in beach chairs, drinking margaritas and holding hands. The insinuation was either they were best friends or they had gotten together romantically.

[Ubach remembers this as well but the screenwriters say they never wrote that ending.]

CAUFFIEL The second or third ending was a musical number on the courtroom steps, and as Elle came out, the judge, jury and everybody in the courtroom broke into song and dance. I’ve been waiting for somebody to leak that for 20 years.

McCULLAH We originally cut to a year later, Elle and Vivian were good friends, and Vivian’s now blond. They had started the Blond Legal Defense Club and were handing out fliers in the quad because that was the ending in Amanda’s manuscript.

SMITH One of the versions ended with Emmett and Elle kissing. We screened the movie two or three times, and every time people didn’t want to end it with a kiss. They thought it wasn’t a story about [Elle] getting a boyfriend, which was really cool to have people say that.

McCULLAH In the theater lobby of the test audience, Kirsten and I were like, “Why don’t we cut to graduation so we can do captions?” So we started writing that scene in the lobby with Marc.

SMITH Reese was shooting a movie in England at the time called “The Importance of Being Earnest,” so, [her] reshoot was done in England, and she was wearing a wig.

McCULLAH Luke had shaved his head for “The Royal Tenenbaums,” so he’s wearing a wig.

COOLIDGE It was so good, [Elle’s] speech at the end, Donald Trump had to steal from it .

The cast and crew say the film has lived on because it’s become more relatable over time.

SMITH It was the right feminist message and character to land when it did. It wears its desires on its sleeve: the contradiction [that] you can be a woman who’s fighting to be heard with a very clear point of view, who’s very strong and smart and also funny, fun and interested in different things, fashion and the law.

DAVIS I’m certainly biased, and this might sound hyperbolic, but I think “Legally Blonde” was one of the last great films in the sense that we shot it on 35 millimeter. It really captured the spirit, the grandeur and the magic of Hollywood. Reese is such a magnetic superstar, and it was a showpiece for her. I think we really captured lightning in a bottle.

LARTER You see this undeniable force, and that [Elle] never lets her self-doubt take her down. When you watch a movie like this, you believe in yourself a little bit more.

BASIL [The movie] is more relevant in a deeper way now than ever before. Women, equal pay and the #MeToo movement, so much has come around in the last 20 years that did not exist when these girls were creating this movie.

Fans constantly remind the cast and crew how the movie affected them.

COOLIDGE People come up to [Reese] and say, “I went to law school because of you.” People tell me that, too. I don’t think all these people could be lying: I think people really got inspired by that story.

DAVIS My friend set me up on a blind date once, and they were like, “You’ll love her, She’s cool. She’s a lawyer.” We had a beer, and we hit it off. I didn’t really talk too much about my story of being an actor. By the end of the night, we started making out. Right in the middle she pulls away and says, “I have to tell you something: ‘Legally Blonde’ is my favorite movie, and that’s why I became a lawyer. I wanted to tell you that all night long.”

McCULLAH When I was in Fiji, another guest told this honeymoon couple from Mexico who were lawyers that I had written “Legally Blonde.” The woman came running up to me, hugged me, and she’s like, “You’ve given me permission to wear pink every day of my life.” It was so cute.

COOLIDGE I can be in some environment that is not a “bend and snap” environment, walking through some dark subway tunnel, and someone comes up to me and does it. I could be on an airplane, seatbelted in, and they want me to get up and do it for them. Sometimes the requests are way more than you want to do during turbulence.

CAUFFIEL There are such hard-core “Legally Blonders” out there. I’ll be ordering a pastrami sandwich, and they’re like, “ Do you have your lucky scrunchie? ” I have my hat and gnarly mom clothes on, and they want to take pictures and talk about it. I love those moments because I see how something that we were also blessed to be a part of touches people’s lives.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“X-Men ’97,” a revival on Disney+ that picks up where the ’90s animated series left off, has faced questions after the firing of its showrunner  ahead of the premiere.

“3 Body Problem,” a science fiction epic from the creators of “Game of Thrones,” has arrived on Netflix. We spoke with them about their latest project .

For the past two decades, female presidential candidates on TV have been made in Hillary Clinton’s image. With “The Girls on the Bus,” that’s beginning to change .

“Freaknik,” a new Hulu documentary, delves into the rowdy ’80s and ’90s-era spring festival  that drew hundreds of thousands of Black college students to Atlanta.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Legally Blonde: Elle Woods' Harvard Video Essay

Why LEGALLY BLONDE Was An Impressive Feminist Film For 2001

• Facebook Data not found. Please check your user ID. Twitter You currently have access to a subset of Twitter API v2 endpoints and limited v1.1 endpoints (e.g. media post, oauth) only. If you need access to this endpoint, you may need a different access level. You can learn more here: https://developer.twitter.com/en/portal/product Youtube 1.1K

BOTTLE CONDITIONED: An Unfiltered Look

Why Animated Films Should Be Included In The Best Picture Category

Zero-Waste Set Design: Redefining Sustainability In The Entertainment Industry

“I’m Not Interested In Playing Easy To Like Characters” Interview With Jonas Chernick, Star & Writer Of THE BURNING SEASON

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW: Cinematic Reflections On Resilience

SXSW Film Festival 2024: AN ARMY OF WOMEN & WE WERE DANGEROUS

SXSW Film Festival 2024: BIRDEATER

REALITY: An Underrated Gem

RIDDLE OF FIRE: Weston Razooli’s Excellent Adventure

THE PROMISED LAND: An Old-Fashioned Historical Epic

CLUB ZERO: A Satisfying Serving Of Satire

SXSW Film Festival 2024: ROAD HOUSE, MONKEY MAN & THE FALL GUY

Sophia Cowley is a young writer, yogi, feminist and film…

When I was seven years old, one of my best friends told me about a movie called Legally Blonde . “I think you would really like it,” she excitedly announced to me after school one day. “The main character is a girly girl who’s also really smart. She wins a big case because of something she knows about hair.”

That was about 14 years ago. Like most 20-somethings, I have begun the nostalgic backtrack into my childhood days – the simpler times when my greatest concern was returning a film to Blockbuster on time. As part of this ongoing endeavor, I recently re-watched Legally Blonde , remembering the joy it had once given me (though I had not known precisely why at the time).

Unsurprisingly, I still think Elle Woods is a superstar. I stand by the seven year old inside of me who giddily watched Reese Witherspoon ‘s character become a powerful lawyer. After re-watching this film, I realized that oddly enough, Legally Blonde was my first glimpse at feminist cinema.

The Evolution of Elle Woods

Initially, Elle’s motivation to attend Harvard Law is to win back her ex-boyfriend. Not exactly a feminist narrative, but things begin to change once she discovers a true passion for law. If you’ve seen Legally Blonde, you probably remember Elle’s admissions video to Harvard, which features the young beauty a sparkly bikini, floating in a swimming pool and talking about her leadership and decision-making skills when it comes to important things like planning sorority mixers and deciding which brand of toilet paper to order.

The Harvard Admissions board (a.k.a. a group of aging white men) accepts her application almost immediately, citing the University’s need to “diversify its student body” in this comically literal depiction of the male gaze. But I think this scene shows less about the ridiculous people who decides Elle’s future, and more about Elle herself. She is a smart individual who knows she will be objectified, so she figures, why not use it to her advantage?

Elle brings to mind the character Erin Brockovich , who works her way up the ladder in a small-town business, using her charisma and sex appeal to win over the hearts of key people and clients. Like Erin Brockovich, Elle’s skill and drive to learn ultimately win her success in her field. Both Erin and Elle are daring enough to acquire the business skills they need, in order to achieve greatness. If this isn’t an act of feminist rebellion, I’m not sure what is.

Feminism Was Not Exactly Cool In The Early 2000s

During the early 2000s, Hollywood was stuck on romantic comedies like The Wedding Planner and raunchy series like  American Pie  and  Scary Movie . It wasn’t the best time for feminism, to say the least. Actually, for feminists, the early 2000s were a little like the dark ages, when it seemed that Americans were regaining favor for more “traditional” gender roles (i.e. men as the breadwinners). Perhaps this cultural phenomenon was reflective of the nation’s gender wage gap, which had been narrowing between the 1970s and 1990’s but began to slow down significantly in 2001 . Keep in mind, this was a time when Paris Hilton was a “hot” new socialite and brands like Abercrombie & Fitch were in style. Los Angeles was still the land of dreams, where girls were like drugs or fast cars – a commodity.

Granted, not much has changed about LA culture, except that today, the American public is significantly less accepting of its blatant misogyny. In fact, artists and feminists publicly abhor the objectification of women. But in 2001, Hollywood big-wigs were busy producing hyped-up films like   Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone  and  Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring .

There weren’t many roles given to powerful leading women in mainstream film, yet somehow, Legally Blonde was ranked #22 in US Top Grossing Films of 2001 . I think that women were excited to see a female in a role that required more than wearing a size zero swim suit.

Elle and Emmett’s Relationship

Back to the actual film: when Elle first arrives at Harvard Law, she meets a charming, subdued young man named Emmett (played by Luke Wilson ). Initially, Emmett helps Elle navigate her courses and impress her professors. But Emmett is a supporting character and stays true to that role. He wants to see Elle succeed without attempting to change her in any way. Plus, Elle returns the favor five-fold when she helps Emmett and his boss on a major legal case.

I like that Elle and Emmett’s romance is kept as a subplot, if that. We don’t even find out they’ve begun dating until the very end of the film. Legally Blonde could have easily become another cheesy romantic comedy where the ambitious career woman discovers all she needs is to fall in love with a mansplaining prince.

But Emmett is no such prince and is kept mostly out of the picture until Legally Blonde 2 . He remains Elle’s cheerleader throughout the first film. For example, after Elle stated that she was “done trying to be someone who [she] is not,” his response was, “Maybe you’re trying to be someone who you are.”

The Privilege Problem In  Legally Blonde

Admittedly I am able to analyze this film as a young white woman who, until the age of ten, lived in a sheltered, middle class household. I loved pink and played with Barbies. I found it easy to relate to Reese Witherspoon ‘s character because she was, like my friend said, a “girly girl” like me. Plus, Elle attended Harvard, which was one of two colleges I already had on my mind as a seven year old, thanks to growing up in an ivy league-obsessed environment.

But, there are problems with this movie that are reflective of greater issues of ’90s and early 2000s feminism. Legally Blonde depicts a woman who can afford to spend her parents’ money on law school and whose biggest conflict, until she left Southern California, was her boyfriend dumping her. If you can’t relate to her story, odds are you are not in the minority.

Unfortunately, third wave feminism, specifically the Riot Grrrl movement , was spearheaded by women who were “ young, white, suburban and middle class .” The movement frequently  left out women of color , trans women, disabled women, etc, meaning that intersectionality was not yet on the table.

Legally Blonde is, on one hand, a product of early 2000s America and its fixation on gender binaries and shallow thinking. But, believe it or not, this film pushed boundaries for the time with a narrative that placed women’s education and careers above the need for romance. Additionally, Legally Blonde questioned women’s place as primarily sexual creatures, allowing a stereotypically “feminine” and attractive woman to flaunt her girlishness while kicking ass in court.

Did you like Legally Blonde when it first came out? Let us know in the comments!

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54km3v

Does content like this matter to you?

Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.

Sophia Cowley is a young writer, yogi, feminist and film enthusiast from NY. Her idols include Miranda July, David Lynch and Abraham Lincoln. She runs the blog www. isthisthereellife.wordpress.com.

Horrific Inquiry: LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE

THE MOVIE EMPEROR: A Delightful Satire For A Perfect Andy Lau

• Write for Us
• Become a Patron
• Comment Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Staff Login

© 2023 Film Inquiry. All Rights Reserved.

• The A.V. Club
• The Takeout
• The Inventory

The genius of Legally Blonde has endured for 20 years

When Romance Met Comedy

With When Romance Met Comedy , Caroline Siede examines the history of the rom-com through the years, one happily ever after (or not) at a time.

Maybe there has never been a great time to be a teenage girl, but the 2000s were a particularly rough decade. It was an era where late night hosts treated young women like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan as verbal punching bags. Where The Man Show and South Park dominated Comedy Central. And where the styles being sold to young girls kept getting more and more feminine, even as culture increasingly treated anything and everything “girly” as inherently worthless and embarrassing. The explosion of bubblegum pop in the late ’90s (itself a reaction to the subversive riot grrrl feminism of the early ’90s) unleashed a deeply misogynistic backlash that would last for over a decade.

Needless to say, it was a pretty surreal time to come of age—one that Millennial women like me are just starting to fully unpack now. But looking back at my own teenage years, what’s even more remarkable is the brief burst of early ’00s comedic filmmaking that seemed to offer a preemptive lifeboat for the choppy waters ahead. In the span of just a few years, Miss Congeniality , Bring It On , Josie And The Pussycats , The Princess Diaries , and Bend It Like Beckham briefly reclaimed the much-mocked “chick flick” with a sneakily subversive edge of female empowerment. It was a trend that peaked with the overt messaging of Mean Girls in 2004. But the crown jewel in the “self-love rom-com” canon is unquestionably Legally Blonde , which turns 20 this week.

Based on a manuscript by Amanda Brown, the story of sunny sorority girl Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) and her surprise success at Harvard Law School immediately endeared itself to a generation of viewers. Legally Blonde grossed $141.8 million worldwide, launched Witherspoon as a full-blown movie star, and eventually spawned both a lackluster sequel and a charming Broadway musical adaptation. Legally Blonde is a cultural touchstone whose popularity has never really wavered. The movie reportedly compelled a bunch of real-life women to go to law school, and has definitely inspired any number of graduation speeches. A highly anticipated third installment is set to hit theaters in May 2022 .

In the 20 years since its release, people tend to talk about Legally Blonde in one of two ways: as frothy, featherlight fun or an underappreciated feminist masterpiece . It’s either Animal House for girls or Norma Rae in pink. But while the former makes it sound trivial and the latter makes it sound didactically moralistic, it’s the way that Legally Blonde ’s form and message intersect that really make it something special. Legally Blonde isn’t just a revolutionary feminist text of early ’00s cinema; it’s also one of the savviest, best-paced comedies of its era.

To begin with, the whole movie is a bait and switch. Legally Blonde very much opens as a rom-com. When Elle’s hunky, law-school-bound boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) dumps her because he needs to “marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn,” she’s convinced that all she needs to do is follow the classic romantic heroine playbook: Use some gumption and just a tiny bit of stalking to follow Warner to Harvard, thwart his new brunette fiancé Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), and win him back. It’s not hard to imagine a version of Legally Blonde that plays that story straight, or at least pivots to a major love story for Elle and Emmett (Luke Wilson), the sheepishly supportive young lawyer she meets on campus. (The latter is the structure the Broadway musical uses, much to the detriment of Elle’s agency and independence.)

But as Elle comes to realize that marriage doesn’t have to be her sole goal in life, Legally Blonde slowly morphs from a romantic comedy to a courtroom one. The movie’s form evolves to suit its function in a way that speaks to the savvy, subversive nature of its storytelling. Legally Blonde is, frankly, smarter than it needs to be, both in its message and economic plotting. Though contemporary reviews wrote it off as a lesser riff on Clueless , the similarities are fairly surface. What makes Legally Blonde work is the sense of ambitious intelligence that immediately emanates from Witherspoon’s bubbly yet sharp take on Elle, who shares a touch of the same drive Witherspoon had brought to Tracy Flick a few years earlier.

Right off the bat, the script by 10 Things I Hate About You   screenwriters Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith makes a point of establishing that Elle is smart. When a saleswoman spies an opportunity to take advantage of “a dumb blonde with daddy’s plastic,” Elle immediately sees through the manipulation. It turns out Elle’s fashion merchandising degree isn’t just for show, she knows it’s impossible to use half-loop top-stitching on low-viscosity rayon. And she can spot when someone is trying to sell her last year’s dress at this year’s price. Unlike Alicia Silverstone’s charming guileless Cher Horowitz, Elle isn’t clueless. She’s just got an aesthetic and a set of interests that don’t align with the mainstream idea of serious adulthood.

In that sense, Legally Blonde is a closer spiritual successor to 1953’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , in which Marilyn Monroe played another “dumb blonde” with a surprising depth of specialized knowledge. And as in that Howard Hawks film, there’s a level of self-aware camp that first-time feature director Robert Luketic brings to Legally Blonde. The film’s opening tracking shot wanders through an absurd fantasia of life at the Delta Nu sorority house, where cheerleading practice, group workouts, and mid-afternoon margaritas are the norm. Witherspoon’s performance and Luketic’s direction work together to create a finally honed tone where you can still laugh at Elle, even as you’re rooting for her too. Her earnest, bikini-clad Harvard admissions video essay (directed by “a Coppola”) is patently absurd, but so is the way that everyone around her keeps underestimating her.

Legally Blonde is about the type of people we deem “important” and the type of people we thoughtlessly write off in a world that considers bubbly femininity to be inherently vapid. Though Elle has an arc about learning to own her intelligence and ambition, she mostly functions as a character like Paddington Bear or Ted Lasso , who makes the world a better place by the sheer force of her confidence and optimism. Legally Blonde takes an archetype who in any other film would be a catty, judgmental mean girl, and instead makes her one of the only characters who doesn’t judge a book by its cover. Elle is kind to everyone she meets—from scatterbrained beautician Paulette Bonafonté ( Jennifer Coolidge ) to a nerdy classmate struggling to land a date. Her sorority-honed sense of sisterhood is clearly a net good for the world. And while she’s no pushover, Elle is incredibly magnanimous when it comes to giving people a second chance.

The single most revelatory thing about Legally Blonde is the way Elle and Vivian slowly start to become friends as Vivian warms to Elle’s unflappable integrity and compassion. Transforming women from romantic rivals to allies was the sort of thing that very rarely happened in late-’90s/early-’00s pop culture, where female characters were often deemed worthy by the way they stood in opposition to other kinds of women. Though there are elements of Legally Blonde that haven’t aged well—particularly its reductive, very early ’00s depiction of gay men—I’m still always kind of blown away by the scene where Vivian first extends an olive branch to Elle. As Vivian and Elle share a laugh over their thoughtless boss and Warner’s general incompetence, Blair and Witherspoon lock into a conspiratorially giddiness that rings so true to interactions I’ve had with other women when some external form of sexism has given us an unexpected sense of solidarity.

While there’s never any doubt that Legally Blonde is the type of movie where everything is going to work out okay in the end, Vivian’s redemption is one of several places where there’s some genuine surprise to how it gets there. The other is the way the screenplay unexpectedly reverses the position of Holland Taylor ’s Professor Stromwell, who’s introduced as an uncaring authoritarian, and Victor Garber ’s Professor Callahan, who’s introduced as a tough-but-fair mentor. The moment Callahan calls his blonde protégée into his office only to sexually harass her is a brutal twist that hits the audience as hard as it does Elle. Like 9 To 5 , Private Benjamin , and   Working Girl , Legally Blonde is part of a long line of “fluffy” female-led comedies that tackled workplace abuse and harassment long before the #MeToo movement made the topic mainstream.

The fallout from the harassment scene is where Legally Blonde is at its smartest. Elle handles herself confidently in the moment, deflecting Callahan with a cutting quip. But the experience completely rattles her confidence and almost causes her to drop out of law school entirely. Legally Blonde understands the snowball effect of harassment and abuse—the way that even women who ostensibly escape “unharmed” can, in fact, be deeply harmed by the sense that the only thing they’ll ever be valued for is their sexuality. And Legally Blonde understands how women can participate in cruel systems of victim blaming too. Despite the thawing of their relationship, Vivian immediately jumps to the assumption that Elle is sleeping her way to the top.

In the end everything is made right by Stromwell and Emmett—one of cinema’s best male feminist allies. (As McCullah explained , “We always called this the Luke Wilson role as we were writing it. They auditioned a bunch of other guys and we’re like, ‘How about auditioning Luke Wilson for the Luke Wilson role?’”) But it’s Legally Blonde ’s willingness to get into some heftier territory that makes its goofily buoyant, My Cousin Vinny -esque courtroom climax land so effectively. Rolfe Kent’s sweeping, old Hollywood score lends the perfect mix of earnest emotionality and winking self-awareness to Elle’s hair-care-inspired legal victory. And while the idea that Elle is a “diversity candidate” for Harvard is a joke, the notion that diverse lived experiences can help improve our legal system has a kernel of truth to it.

If you were making a list of all the things a “feminist” movie should try to do right, Legally Blonde checks off nearly all of them—particularly by the standards of 2001. Yet, crucially, it never feels like a movie that exists first and foremost to tick boxes. There’s an artistry to the way it zips along on its own comedic wavelength while keeping its feminist themes churning below. In fact, the filmmakers even reshot an unsatisfying original ending that foregrounded Elle and Emmett’s relationship for one that delivered the ultimate example of what screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna calls “and-a-man” rom-com storytelling. Legally Blonde ’s closing graduation speech puts Elle’s self-actualization front and center, and uses her sweet, subtle chemistry with Emmett as the cherry on top.

Like Elle herself, Legally Blonde ’s bright, buoyant aesthetic made it all too easy to dismiss by those who didn’t want to see the film’s depths. Yet for those who did, Legally Blonde offered a hot pink life raft in an increasingly dark cultural moment. Between its endlessly quotable dialogue and instantly iconic costuming, Legally Blonde earned its place in pop culture history with a confidence worthy of its protagonist. And 20 years later, Elle’s star is still as bright as ever.

Next time: With Jungle Cruise on the horizon, we look back at the “adventure romance” genre—from The African Queen to Romancing The Stone to The Mummy.

Kim Kardashian Re-Creates Elle Woods’ Harvard Video Essay From ‘Legally Blonde’ For Halloween (Video)

She nailed every detail, even the “I object!”

Kim Kardashian went all out this Halloween, not only dressing up as Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde” for the spooky holiday, but also re-creating Elle’s full Harvard video essay down to every little detail.

“My name is Elle Woods, and for my admissions essay, I’m going to tell all of you at Harvard why I’m going to make an amazing lawyer,” Kardashian says. “As president of my sorority, I’m skilled at commanding the attention of a room and discussing very important issues.”

Kardashian also tweeted photos of herself in the various costumes from the 2001 comedy, including the iconic green sequined bikini and the pink slip dress. Bruiser, of course, was in tow.

In real life, the reality TV star is studying law without attending law school. Her late father, Robert Kardashian, was an attorney and part of O.J. Simpson’s defense team during the football player’s infamous 1997 murder trial.

A third “Legally Blonde” film is officially in the works, with Reese Witherspoon reprising her iconic role. Jamie Suk is directing the film, which is expected to hit theaters next year.

Watch the video below.

Elle Woods Harvard Video Essay pic.twitter.com/PNMBs2dl0C — Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 31, 2019

Legally Blonde pic.twitter.com/7deqdWVv60 — Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 31, 2019

Legally Blonde! pic.twitter.com/8OIffq7f3f — Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 31, 2019

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

40 Thoughts I Had While Rewatching Legally Blonde

By Emma Specter

It’s recap season once again (for clarity: recap season is pretty much perennial ), and this fine day, we’re diving into one of the greatest cinematic contributions of our time: the 2001 rom-com Legally Blonde . No, I am not being sarcastic! This is definitely one of my favorite movies ever, and reading Marlowe Granados’s excellent 2021 essay “The Bimbo’s Laugh” reminded me of the sheer power that the so-called bimbo holds. It’s taken me a long time to learn this lesson, but as protagonist Elle Woods proves, sometimes the hot girl is also nice and smart. Let’s catch up with her antics, shall we?

• In one of my favorite opening scenes of all time, a hottie bikes down Fraternity Row as “Perfect Day” by Hoku plays, off to deliver a good-luck card to Elle, who’s supposed to be getting engaged that night.
• Now I’m stuck in a fantasy of listening to Hoku while I drive to the beach, drinking an iced coffee.
• The pink, bubbly font that the cast’s names appear in is so perfect.
• I know sororities are toxic, but this lifestyle (working out, grooming, hanging with your friends) looks really fun.
• This really is Reese Witherspoon at her best.
• Elle and her girlies go shopping, and Elle completely trounces a snooty salesgirl who dismisses her as a “dumb blonde with Daddy’s plastic.” Also, Vogue gets a name-check. (Hey! That’s us!)
• Elle’s fiancé-to-be, Warner the Douchebag, shows up—cleft in chin and gel in hair—to whisk her to dinner, where he doesn’t propose; he dumps her because he has to “get serious” before heading to Harvard Law. The audacity!
• God, being dumped sucks. Especially when you were planning to become a bride instead (I assume, having not been in this position).
• Now we get to a scene that looks familiar to me: Elle is in her room, crying and binge-eating and watching TV. The girlies drag her out for a pedicure, where she sees Warner the Douchebag’s brother with a categorically Smart Girl in a magazine and forms her plan.
• Elle’s parents, who are Beverly Hills martini-swillers par excellence, don’t believe in her ability to get into Harvard Law, but I do, and not just because I’ve seen this movie maybe 60 times before.
• The girlies are appalled to see Elle studying for the LSATs, but then they get on board, helping her make a brilliant video application essay (in bikinis, natch) and timing her on practice tests while they work out. I love friendship!
• Not Elle getting a 179 on her LSAT! :)
• The extremely stuffy and horny admissions committee votes Elle in, and just like that, she’s Harvard-bound.
• Everyone at Harvard is mean to Elle because she’s hot and wears pink (especially a straight-out-of-central-casting lesbian stereotype named Enid), but she doesn’t care, because she’s here for her man.
• Well, that exuberance didn’t last long, because even though Elle got into Harvard Law (“What, like it’s hard?”), Warner the Douchebag has moved on to Selma Blair, arguably the apotheosis of my “type,” who is not too fond of Elle. Ugh.
• Hey, it’s Holland Taylor ! She plays a dragon-lady professor who kicks Elle out of class for not doing the reading, but luckily, that’s when Elle meets cutie-cutester Luke Wilson, an older law student who gives her tips on how to survive Harvard.
• Hey, it’s Jennifer Coolidge, queen of The White Lotus and of my heart! She’s a nail tech at the manicure salon Elle arrives at in high dudgeon, and the two quickly bond over loving their dogs and hating men.
• Hey, it’s Victor Garber! He plays a slimy-ish professor in whose class Elle throws down the gauntlet: She’s going to fight Selma Blair, and she’s going to win.
• Imagine being one of the other law students in this year, just watching a bimbo and an ice queen dominate class time to go at it.
• Selma Blair refuses to let Elle join her and Warner the Douchebag’s study group, and to make matters worse, she spreads rumors that Elle is homophobic. Not cute.
• One of Elle’s girlies back in California is getting married!
• Selma Blair invites Elle to a party, telling her to come in costume, so Elle shows up as a Playboy bunny. Unfortunately, everyone else is just dressed as an early-aughts Harvard nerd, though Elle does get a good diss in, telling Selma Blair, “When I dress up as a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated.” Never mess with a sorority girl!
• In line to buy a tangerine clamshell iMac (ah, 2001), Elle runs into Luke Wilson again, and he spurs her to get her study on. Girlboss montage time!
• Suddenly, Elle is crushing questions in class and reading dense law texts while getting her hair done with Jennifer Coolidge. We love to multitask.
• Harnessing her lawyer-to-be powers for good, Elle helps Jennifer Coolidge get custody of her beloved dog back from her grody ex. She also does so in an adorable and clearly unnecessary pair of glasses.
• Sperm fight time! Let me elaborate: Elle squares off against Warner the Douchebag in a class discussion about sperm donors’ visitation rights, and wins. It’s triumphant and excellent.
• Boom! Elle is chosen for Victor Garber’s prestigious internship on a high-profile murder case, as are Selma Blair and Warner the Douchebag.
• God, Elle is so classy for being nice to Selma Blair. I would let her rot, personally.
• The defendant (hey, it’s Ali Larter!) is not only a fitness guru accused of murdering her husband, but also a member of Elle’s sorority, so clearly she’s good people.
• Elle’s defense of Ali Larter: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy! Happy people don’t shoot their husbands.” Fair enough.
• Ah, the Bend and Snap: In an attempt to help Jennifer Coolidge woo a cute UPS guy, Elle teaches her (and the entire salon) an ass-presenting move guaranteed to ensnare any man.
• Ali Larter tearfully confesses her secret alibi to Elle: She was having liposuction, which would damage her credibility as a fitness queen who can “make you lose three pounds in one class.” Elle won’t give her up even when pressed, because Sorority Above All.
• Elle and Selma Blair form a very tenuous bond based on Victor Garber being hugely sexist to both of them, and they even complain about Warner the Douchebag, who—gasp!—got into Harvard off the waitlist .
• On Day One of the court proceedings, Ali Larter’s former pool boy testifies that he had an affair with her, but Elle proves that he’s gay based on the fact that he correctly identifies her shoe brand as Prada. I sort of don’t buy that homosexuality and heterosexuality being A) fixed or B) mutually exclusive are legally binding, but hey, it’s a win for Elle, so I’ll take it.
• Ugh, I hate this part: Victor Garber makes a pass at Elle, and she rejects him, but Selma Blair misinterprets their exchange and is super-mean about it.
• Now this part, I love: Elle is tearfully telling Jennifer Coolidge at the nail salon that she’s going to quit, but Holland Taylor overhears and tells her, “If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, you’re not the girl I thought you were.” Title IX his sorry ass!
• Elle shows up to the courtroom, dressed in all pink (duh) and representing Ali Larter with Luke Wilson’s help.
• Thanks to her overwhelming knowledge of perm care, Elle is able to prove that Ali Larter’s stepdaughter (a very sulky Linda Cardellini) actually shot her own father, thinking she was shooting Ali Larter. Boom! Gavel! Case closed!
• Two years later, Elle is giving the Harvard Law commencement address; she’s a boss, she’s dating Luke Wilson (in fact, they’re about to get engaged), and Holland Taylor is her mentor. Selma Blair is now her BFF, and Warner the Douchebag has no job prospects. Ha.
• This movie comes with a very powerful moral: Never, ever underestimate a hottie.

Discover more great stories from Vogue

• The Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2022
• Is Rihanna Changing Pregnancy Style Forever?
• These Celebrities Who Married Normal People Will Surprise You
• The Best True-Crime Podcasts to Listen to Now
• What Happened to the Men of Sex and the City ?

Vogue Daily

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Architectural Digest.. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Love Lies Bleeding Link to Love Lies Bleeding
• Problemista Link to Problemista
• Late Night with the Devil Link to Late Night with the Devil

New TV Tonight

• Mary & George: Season 1
• Star Trek: Discovery: Season 5
• Sugar: Season 1
• American Horror Story: Season 12
• Parish: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• Loot: Season 2
• Lopez vs Lopez: Season 2
• The Magic Prank Show With Justin Willman: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• The Gentlemen: Season 1
• Palm Royale: Season 1
• Invincible: Season 2
• Quiet on Set:The Dark Side of Kids TV: Season 1
• American Rust: Season 2
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Steve! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces Link to Steve! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

MonsterVerse Movies and Series Ranked: Godzilla, Kong, Monarch by Tomatometer

All King Kong Movies Ranked

Women’s History

Awards Tour

The Visibility Dilemma

Godzilla x Kong First Reviews: Full of Mindless, Glorious Spectacle, Just as Expected

• Trending on RT
• Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
• 3 Body Problem
• In the Land of Saints and Sinners
• Play Movie Trivia

Legally Blonde

2001, Comedy/Romance, 1h 36m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Though the material is predictable and formulaic, Reese Witherspoon's funny, nuanced performance makes this movie better than it would have been otherwise. Read critic reviews

You might also like

Where to watch legally blonde.

Watch Legally Blonde with a subscription on Max, rent on Vudu, Apple TV, Prime Video, or buy on Vudu, Apple TV, Prime Video.

Rate And Review

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified..

AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

Theater box office or somewhere else

By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Legally blonde videos, legally blonde   photos.

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 blond. Elle rallies all of her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back.

Rating: PG-13 (Sexual References|Language)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Original Language: English

Director: Robert Luketic

Producer: Marc Platt , Ric Kidney

Writer: Karen McCullah , Kirsten Smith , Amanda Brown

Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2001  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA): $96.5M

Runtime: 1h 36m

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Marc Platt Productions

Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Reese Witherspoon

Luke Wilson

Selma Blair

Matthew Davis

Victor Garber

Professor Callahan

Jennifer Coolidge

Holland Taylor

Professor Stromwell

Brooke Taylor Windham

Jessica Cauffiel

Alanna Ubach

Dorky David

Linda Cardellini

Bruce Thomas

Meredith Scott Lynn

Raquel Welch

Mrs. Windham Vandermark

Samantha Lemole

Arrogant Aaron

Michael Silver

Kimberly McCullough

Robert Luketic

Karen McCullah

Screenwriter

Kirsten Smith

Amanda Brown

David Nicksay

Co-Producer

Christian McLaughlin

Anthony B. Richmond

Cinematographer

Garth Craven

Film Editing

Anita Brandt-Burgoyne

Original Music

Missy Stewart

Production Design

Anita Camarata

Music Supervisor

Unit Production Manager

First Assistant Director

Daniel Bradford

Art Director

Kathy Lucas

Set Decoration

Sophie de Rakoff

Costume Design

Joseph Middleton

News & Interviews for Legally Blonde

25 Memorable Movie Lines of the Last 25 Years

New on Prime Video and Freevee in September 2022

87 Fearless Women Movie Heroes Who Inspire Us

Critic Reviews for Legally Blonde

Audience reviews for legally blonde.

Movies rarely attack female stereotypes the way Legally Blonde does: it starts out by showing us Elle Woods (played by the energetic Reese Witherspoon) as a rich, early-twenties sorority girl with very little to lose. She's overly-bubbly, overly-perky, and seemingly dim-witted. She checks off just about every stereotype an American blonde girl could possibly have. When she gets accepted into Harvard (a hilarious scene showing the admissions department watching her video essay and finding reasons to admit her just because they think she's hot), she goes with the intention of winning back her ex-boyfriend, Warner. She instead gets herself lost in her pursuit of her law degree, in which she quickly learns to transform her attention to detail (which she uses towards beauty and fashion) into the case she is helping out with. It's not only funny seeing these stereotypes brought to life by Reese Witherspoon and the hilarious characters that she meets along the way, but it was also eye-opening to see her crush her obstacles and name-callers along the way by proving that there is often more than meets the eye. As long as there are breathing women in America, Legally Blonde would remain timeless among the people who can see past "blonde moments".

Got made to watch this when I was ill all weekend and if i'm honest it wasn't Nowhere near as bad as I thought, Ok it's silly and poorly acted but I couldn't give it a lower star rating than this.

pretty funny but not one I'll rewatch over and over again

Legally Blonde may be great for women, and even I chuckled a few times, but most men probably wont find it entertaining.

Movie & TV guides

Play Daily Tomato Movie Trivia

Discover What to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes Podcasts

• Editor's Pick

Amid Boston Overdose Crisis, a Pair of Harvard Students Are Bringing Narcan to the Red Line

At First Cambridge City Council Election Forum, Candidates Clash Over Building Emissions

Harvard’s Updated Sustainability Plan Garners Optimistic Responses from Student Climate Activists

‘Sunroof’ Singer Nicky Youre Lights Up Harvard Yard at Crimson Jam

‘The Architect of the Whole Plan’: Harvard Law Graduate Ken Chesebro’s Path to Jan. 6

'Legally Blonde' Preview: A Pan-Asian Spin on a Harvard Classic

On one of the last Friday nights before midterms are in full swing, the last place you’d expect to find Harvard students is in the admissions office. But tucked into a portion of the building is the Agassiz Theater, where the Asian Student Arts Project rehearses everyday for their Pan-Asian production of “Legally Blonde,” which opened on Oct. 28.

ASAP is an organization for Asian students at Harvard who want to celebrate their artistic passions in conjunction with their identities. “We are constantly creating open spaces where pan-Asian students can feel like they have a space to express themselves and have their art lifted,” director and ASAP co-president Karina L. Cowperthwaite ’23 said.

The club’s culture is rooted in its theater presence, although ASAP honors arts of all forms. Ian Chan ’22–’23, one of the music directors of the production and a senior member of ASAP, has seen its members enthusiastically rally around the fall show. “People are really excited about being a part of our Asian arts community as a result of having been in ‘Legally Blonde,’” Chan said, “and conversely people a part of ASAP are excited about ‘Legally Blonde’ from being a part of our community.”

This semester’s musical, however, was unlike any other ASAP production put on in the past. All of ASAP’s past shows were written with Asian identities in mind, Cowperthwaite said. “Legally Blonde” is perhaps as far as you can get from that trend. Very few contemporary Broadway musicals highlight Asian American stories. “That's really hard when you're a theater group,” Cowperthwaite said. “Especially coming back from COVID, we really wanted to start off with a big production.”

But faced with this challenge, Cowperthwaite came up with the idea to put on a traditionally white musical in an all-Asian space. “I think what's been really exciting about that is seeing what that text looks like when it's with people who it wasn't necessarily written for,” she said.

Tia A. KwanBock ’25, who played Vivian Kensington in the production, agreed, and said she actually appreciated being able to explore other themes in addition to her identity. “I’m excited for the audience to see a show with an entirely pan-Asian cast where the plot is not entirely about being Asian,” she said.

With “Legally Blonde” in particular, the irony in this casting is quite powerful. Its plot is about a privileged white girl, who gets herself into Harvard at the drop of a dime in a quest for love. While Elle’s race is not specified, whiteness is deeply rooted in most people’s perceptions of the character --originally casted by Reese Witherspoon and later Laura Bell Bundy. So, a lot goes into racially coding this to fit a minority cast. “There are narratives and a history between Asian Americans and the Harvard admissions officers, like the lawsuit,” Cowperthwaite said, referring to Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, “so all of a sudden, this narrative becomes a little bit politicized.”

But what does it actually mean to turn that narrative into a Pan-Asian story? “It means that this Legally Blonde will be nothing like any other,” Cowperthwaite said, laughing. For one thing, she has been working with the production’s designers to incorporate signifiers of Asian identity into the characters they are creating. There are a lot of different details to consider and play with: “What kind of TV shows does she watch? What kind of music does she listen to? What kind of bougie sushi places do they go to?”

The cast was excited about the work, and excited to be putting on a show of this scale in such an Asian-inclusive space. Julia H. Riew ’21–’22, who plays Brooke and is one of ASAP’s founders, said she finds the project energizing. “It's exciting to know that parts of my identity don't have to be hidden in order to play this role,” Riew said. “In fact, they can actually be brought out.”

With just a few weeks between auditions and performances, the rehearsal process had to move quickly. “It’s been 15 days since we’ve had a first rehearsal and we’ve learned 80% of the music, so we are really speeding through here,” Chan said. “We really were blessed to see an incredible pool of auditionees, with absolutely incredible talent —and not just that, but incredible Asian talent.”

The cast’s commitment to their roles was clear, especially as their singing fills the halls late into night. Riew, playing Brooke in the notorious singing while jump-roping scene, admitted that she’s been jumping every single day to build up stamina. “And to do it with a mask,” she said. “It's gonna be really interesting.” But with this being her last year with ASAP, she is excited about how far her organization has come, and thrilled with its take on “Legally Blonde.” “It tells a really great story about a woman who goes to a place that she never would have seen herself before, and learns something about herself that she never thought she could,” Riew said. “I think that is something that not just people in ASAP but so many just people at Harvard have experienced.”

Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter.

Legally Blonde Is Seriously One of the Greatest Beauty Movies—Here's Proof

Twenty years ago on July 13, Legally Blonde debuted in theaters, and a powerful pink goddess known as Elle Woods made her way into our consciousness. Reese Witherspoon plays Elle, a beloved sorority president who decides to enroll at Harvard Law School in order to win back her aspiring politician ex-boyfriend. Although the movie is rife with "blonde bimbo” jokes, we come to learn that Elle is strong, smart, determined, and successful at studying law just as she is at putting together a stunning outfit.

The film is famous for its iconic style moments, including the sequined bikini Elle wears for her Harvard video essay (of which Kim Kardashian replicated during Halloween 2019 ), the Playboy bunny costume party faux pas, and the hot-pink pleather jacket and pencil skirt she has on when she arrives at Harvard.

Elle’s showstopping looks, which were by costume designer Sophie de Rakoff, ensured Legally Blonde to be one the most fashionable films in cinematic history alongside Clueless , The Devil Wears Prada , and the recent Cruella . (Witherspoon even had it written in her contract that she could keep her wardrobe from the movies.) However, at its core, Legally Blonde is truly a film about beauty. While there are countless movies known for their hair and makeup moments (Mia Farrow’s pixie cut in Rosemary’s Baby , Amélie’s bob , Natalie Portman’s dramatic eyeshadow in Black Swan , etc.), Legally Blonde’s take on beauty is all-encompassing. It’s a major focus from the beginning to the end.

From the get-go, we know that Elle is a woman who loves her beauty rituals. It’s blatantly clear from her bouncy blonde hair and immaculate French manicure to the various makeup and skincare products adorning her vanity in the opening credits. As "Perfect Day” by Hoku plays, we see clues to Elle’s beauty mainstays: OPI nail polish, a box of Herbal Essence blonde hair dye, as well as a few Clinique products, including Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Happy perfume, and that old familiar green marble blush compact. Clinique’s presence was so evident throughout the film it seemed like obvious product placement, but the brand claimed to have no knowledge of any paid advertising in a 2017 Refinery29 article . (In the story, makeup artist James Vincent suggested it was due to brand familiarity, as Clinique was seen in several other movies that also came out in the early aughts.)

The makeup and hair choices in the film were fitting for the time, though, much like her clothing, Elle’s butterfly clips and glossy lips would easily work today, as the  aughts-era trends have cycled fast enough to make it in time for the 20th anniversary.

As one would expect, being blonde is a focal point of the film, and curating all of the hair moments was a concerted effort by stylists Joy Zapata and Linda Arnold (the two were awarded for their work from the Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild). Colorists Nancy Braun and Dawn Ellinwood were also enlisted to help create the nuance between Elle’s beach L.A. blonde, Brooke’s (Ali Larter) more sophisticated New York blonde hue, and Paulette’s (Jennifer Coolidge’s) tacky blonde. 

Not only did they have to maintain everyone’s root growth during the entirety of filming, but Witherspoon herself also wore 40 different hairstyles. There was even a mini documentary about it called The Hair That Ate Hollywood , in the special edition DVD.

Then there’s the beauty salon, where some of the most pivotal moments take place, such as the tutorial for the "Bend and Snap,” the outrageous and legendary maneuver in which Elle described as having a "Ninety-eight percent success rate of getting a man’s attention,” and it’s where she and Paulette meet and become friends. In both Legally Blonde and its sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, & Blonde , the salon serves as an important place of bonding for Elle and her superiors, and almost like an equal playing field of sorts. (Haven’t we all felt a little more vulnerable with foil wraps in our hair and a foot grater taken to our rough and calloused heels?!)

Finally, it’s Elle’s beauty knowledge that helps her stand out from her colleagues and win the case: "Isn’t it the first cardinal rule of perm maintenance that you’re forbidden to wet your hair for at least hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate?” she asks Linda Cardellini’s character before serving her mic-drop revelation in the courtroom.

There’s still plenty to adore about Legally Blonde and our beauty and style icon Elle Woods 20 years later, but she proves that there’s nothing shallow about beauty. We already knew that, though. Still, she makes a great point. Keep everything you read here on Who What Wear in the back of your mind—you never know if it could get you out of a legal bind! 

Shop Some of the Beauty Products You'll Spot in the Movie

Next:  Dissecting the Allure of a Forever-Iconic French Haircut: Amélie's Bob

Marie has covered beauty, fashion, and lifestyle for almost 15 years. She contributes to the beauty section here at Who What Wear. Previously, she was the Looks Editor for Bust Magazine, built the beauty vertical at HelloGiggles as its beauty editor, and was a founding staff writer at Rookie mag , giving fashion advice to teens. Her bylines have appeared in The Cut , Allure , Glamour , The Hollywood Reporter , and more. She was born and raised in Southern California and is based in L.A. Marie is a self-proclaimed costume design nerd and a co-host of Makeover Montage , a podcast about fashion in film and costume design. You'll see her writing about her beauty obsessions: red lipstick, winged eyeliner, pink hair, nail art, and skincare for people over 40. When she's not working, she's playing with her dog, Gnocchi, and writing her style newsletter, Overdressed .

The shelves were wiped, but it's still in stock online.

By Natalie Munro

Will you be giving it a go?

By Grace Lindsay

So en pointe.

By Eleanor Vousden

It's a very high standard.

By Kaitlyn McLintock

It's a must in my handbag, too.

Pink is in.

By Maya Thomas

Get ready for glamour.

By Katie Berohn

Add some bite-sized designer into your life.

Inspiration incoming.

By Grace Day

Add them to your mood board ASAP.

• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Accessibility Statement
• Advertise with us

Who What Wear UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

'Legally Blonde' ! Kim Kardashian Recreates Elle Woods' Iconic Harvard Video Essay for Halloween

The star, who's currently studying to become a lawyer, perfectly recreated the iconic scene from  Legally Blonde 

Kaitlyn is a former Assistant Style & Beauty Editor at PEOPLE.

Kim Kardashian West, who is currently studying to become a lawyer, just channeled one of the most iconic pop culture law students of all time — Elle Woods!

The 39-year-old reality star and beauty mogul unveiled her first Halloween costume of 2019 on Instagram by recreating a series of memorable looks that Reese Witherspoon wore as Elle Woods in the the hit 2001 film, Legally Blonde . She even made her own Harvard Law admissions video essay, just like Woods did in the film.

“Oh! Hi! I’m Elle Woods and for my admissions essay I am going to tell all of you at Harvard why I’m going to be an amazing lawyer,” Kardashian West said at the start of the video recreation.

Kardashian West goes on to act out each and every scene from the admissions video, including a meeting with her society Delta Nu to vote on Charmin toilet paper versus generic, the bikini-clad pool scene discussing Days of Our Lives , and the scene exhibiting “legal jargon in everyday life.”

As for the outfits, she perfectly recreated each one from the admissions essay.

Kardashian West wore the Barbie pink slip dress, Tiffany & Co. heart tag choker and baby pink sunglasses that Woods sported in the “legal jargon” scene. She kept the look as realistic as possible by wearing a French tip manicure, blonde wig and hot pink lipstick, carrying a pink feather pen and holding a tote with a dog (meant to be Bruiser Woods) inside.

For the pool scene, she donned a blonde wig pulled up into a bouncy ponytail and wore an identical green sequin string bikini to lounge on a hot pink pool float.

Her look immediately got praise on social media, including one message from Witherspoon who played Woods herself. “Elle Woods forever!” the actress wrote on her Instagram Story.

Khloé Kardashian agreed writing, “The best I’ve ever seen.”

The costume is spot-on for Kardashian West, who revealed in April that she decided last summer to begin a four-year apprenticeship with a law firm in San Francisco, with the goal of taking the bar in 2022.

Leading up to Halloween 2019, fans were dying to get a preview of what the KKW Beauty mogul would wear. When one fan asked on Twitter, she replied saying: “I was up until 1:30am shooting one look! I have one w kids, one w Kanye and one solo. I have a 4th look but not sure if I will do it this year. Need to decide.”

Last year, Kardashian West got decked out in two memorable costumes: a Victoria’s Secret Angel (a group look she did with all the Kardashian-Jenner sisters ) and Pamela Anderson circa 1999 at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Related Articles