Before writing the screenplay for the recent girl-power movie The House Bunny, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith teamed to co-write the girl-power movie Legally Blonde.
The Story of Legally Blonde
The action starts immediately as perky sorority girl Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon [Walk the Line]) prepares herself for her perfect day. She buys a beautiful new dress, applies her flawless makeup, and styles her gorgeous blond hair for the dinner date during which her handsome boyfriend, Warner Hungtington III (Matthew Davis [What About Brian]) will propose marriage. Unfortunately, he dumps her instead, claiming that he needs a more serious girlfriend for his segue into law school.
This prompts Elle to launch a campaign for enrolling herself in Harvard Law School. She hopes to prove to Warner, her parents, and the world that she’s more than just a dumb blonde. Based on her 4.0 grade point average, 179 LSAT score, and sorority accomplishments, the Harvard admissions board decides to accept her in its quest for diversity.
Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor Co-Star
While there with her little dog Bruiser, she encounters Warner and his snobbish new friends, a sweet manicurist (Jennifer Coolidge [Zoolander and American Pie], a harsh professor (Holland Taylor [The Truman Show]), and a helpful young attorney (Luke Wilson [Henry Poole is Here, Old School]).
In her own rich, pampered, very pink sort of way, Elle becomes the underdog in this tale of a young woman’s journey to find her inner intellectual. With clever dialogue, inspired acting (especially Witherspoon and Coolidge), and lots of beautiful hairstyles, Legally Blonde inspired sequels, a television series, and musical stage shows.
Bonus Features on Legally Blonde DVD
Two featurettes “Inside Legally Blonde,” which includes information on the screenwriters, director, locations, and Witherspoon, and “The Hair That Ate Hollywood,” which delves into the fine art of crafting the perfect shade of blond, offer fun background information on the making of the film.
Deleted Scenes (with introductions by director Robert Luketic) are “After the Break-Up,” “Rollerblading,” “The Betting Pool,” “Elle’s Revenge,” “Depositions,” “Professor Callahan & Emmett,” and “Mrs. Wyndom Vandermark.” Although these deleted scenes all deserved to be left out of the film, they’re interesting to watch nonetheless.
In addition to audio commentaries, another bonus feature on this Special Edition DVD is a Trivia Track that offers pop-up information during the movie about the actors, the locations, and everything related to hair care.
Among the most interesting highlights from the DVD bonus material:
- The movie is based on a novel by Amanda Brown, in which she wrote about her disastrous experiences in law school.
- Reese Witherspoon sports 40 different hairstyles throughout the film.
- The romantic love interest (Luke Wilson as Emmett) was added by the screenwriters, and is not found in the novel.
- Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III) says that he based his ambitious character on a biography he read about George W. Bush.
Legally Blonde 2001 (Special Edition)
- A rich and beautiful sorority girl decides to enter law school to win back her long-time boyfriend who dumped her because she wasn’t serious enough for his political aspirations.
- Starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor
- Director: Robert Luketic
- Run Time: 96 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for language and sexual references)
- DVD Bonus Features Include Deleted Scenes; 2 Featurettes; 2 Audio Commentaries, Music Video “Perfect Day,” Trivia Track, and Original Theatrical Trailers.
To learn more about Legally Blonde, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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