Movie Scene
Reese Witherspoon proves blondes do have more fun in 'Legally Blonde'

By Marshall Fine
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

LEGALLY BLONDE (Rated PG-13 for profanity, slapstick violence, sexual humor) * * 1/2 (Fair) "Clueless" meets –The Paper Chase” and –My Cousin Vinny” in this derivative comedy, a film made palatable only by the effervescent performance of its star, the estimable Reese Witherspoon. Also starring Luke Wilson, Victor Garber, Matthew Davis. Directed by Robert Luketic. MGM. 87 minutes.

Just one, if that golden-haired actress happens to be the estimable Reese Witherspoon. With "Legally Blonde," Witherspoon proves that she's the heiress-apparent to the mantle previously held by Jean Harlow, Judy Holliday and Goldie Hawn: the truly funny blonde.

Elle Woods (Witherspoon) is about to graduate from a university in California. President of her sorority and homecoming queen, she's also been dating the most eligible rich kid on fraternity row, the smarmy Warner (Matthew Davis). Extracurricular activities? Hey, her resume includes being an extra in a Ricky Martin video and a runner-up slot for Miss Hawaiian Tropic.

Instead of proposing, Warner dumps her because his parents expect him to marry someone serious. He's leaving her behind in California as he heads for Harvard Law School, a U.S. Senate seat in his sights: "If I'm going to be a senator, I need a Jackie, not a Marilyn," he explains by way of a kiss-off.

Elle decides to do what it takes to prove herself serious and worthy: She applies to Harvard Law as well, assuming that her 4.0 makes her a shoo-in (never mind that her major is fashion management). And she's accepted, because the movie would be over if she wasn't.

At which point "Legally Blonde" turns into the kind of fish-out-of-water comedy in which it takes the fish a while to figure out that the land-animals are laughing at her. The utterly perky Elle finally gets mad when Warner tells her point-blank that she's simply not smart enough to cut it at Harvard Law. So she buckles down to prove him wrong.

What follows is both highly unlikely and frequently diverting, mostly thanks to Witherspoon's bubbly yet canny performance. Her Elle is smart enough to know she won't always be able to get by on her personality and looks.

The plot, of course, is both preposterous (Elle winds up helping to defend a murder suspect while still a first-year law student) and predictable.

But Witherspoon rises above it, transforming weak material into delicious moments. In a film full of stereotyped characters, she's the only one who truly makes it surprising, even at its most easily anticipated. Her character may be written as a cliche, but Witherspoon makes her utterly fresh and appealing.

"Legally Blonde" suffers from its tendency to cannibalize ideas from better movies and transform them into common multiplex fodder. It's hard to imagine how much less engaging this film would have been without Witherspoon's special touch.

Rated PG-13 for profanity, slapstick violence, sexual humor

Marshall Fine reviews film for The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News and Gannett News Service.