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Legally Blonde

 
Legally Blonde

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Legally Blonde



 
 
Legally Blonde is a 2001
2001 in film

The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. ...
 comedy film
Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on Humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies....
 starring Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer, who has established herself as a one of Hollywood top actresses in recent years....
, produced by Marc E. Platt
Marc E. Platt

Marc E. Platt is an American film, television and theatre producer. He was born in 1957 and raised in Pikesville, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979....
 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios and directed by Robert Luketic
Robert Luketic

Robert Luketic was born on 1 November 1973 is an Australian film director of Croatian and Italian descent. He directed the films Monster In Law, Legally Blonde and 21 ....
. It is based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Amanda Brown.

The film tells the story of fashion marketing major and bubbly sorority girl Elle Woods' quest to be regarded seriously at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, it is the United States' oldest law school in continuous operation....
, and to win back her boyfriend Warner.

The film was a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in film and television program....
 nominee for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy; Witherspoon's performance also received a nomination.

Legally Blonde ranks number 29 on Bravo's
Bravo (television network)

Bravo is a cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film, drama, and the performing arts when it launched by Cablevision as an advertisement-free network in December 1980....
 2007 list of "100 Funniest Movies".

The movie's box office success spawned a 2003
2003 in film

The year '2003 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Freddy vs Jason, X2: X-Men Uni...
 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and an upcoming 2009
2009 in film

The year '2009 in film' has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels and remakes such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Friday the 13th , Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Saw VI, Transformers: Reven...
 direct-to-DVD sequel, Legally Blondes
Legally Blondes

Legally Blondes is an upcoming 2009 in film direct-to-video sequel to Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Reese Witherspoon will not return as Elle Woods in this film, however, the film will star Camilla and Rebecca Rosso and Brittany Curran....
.






Discussion
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Quotations


All people see when they look at me is blonde hair and big boobs.

Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't shoot their husbands. They just don't!

He's engaged! She's got the six-carat Harry Winston on her bony, unpolished finger.

Law school is for people who are ugly, and boring, and... serious. And you, Button, are none of those things.

Elle's father

Oh my god, the bend and snap! works every time.

Thanks for inviting me, girls. This party is super-fun.






Encyclopedia


Legally Blonde is a 2001
2001 in film

The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. ...
 comedy film
Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on Humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies....
 starring Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer, who has established herself as a one of Hollywood top actresses in recent years....
, produced by Marc E. Platt
Marc E. Platt

Marc E. Platt is an American film, television and theatre producer. He was born in 1957 and raised in Pikesville, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979....
 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios and directed by Robert Luketic
Robert Luketic

Robert Luketic was born on 1 November 1973 is an Australian film director of Croatian and Italian descent. He directed the films Monster In Law, Legally Blonde and 21 ....
. It is based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Amanda Brown.

The film tells the story of fashion marketing major and bubbly sorority girl Elle Woods' quest to be regarded seriously at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, it is the United States' oldest law school in continuous operation....
, and to win back her boyfriend Warner.

The film was a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in film and television program....
 nominee for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy; Witherspoon's performance also received a nomination.

Legally Blonde ranks number 29 on Bravo's
Bravo (television network)

Bravo is a cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film, drama, and the performing arts when it launched by Cablevision as an advertisement-free network in December 1980....
 2007 list of "100 Funniest Movies".

The movie's box office success spawned a 2003
2003 in film

The year '2003 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Freddy vs Jason, X2: X-Men Uni...
 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and an upcoming 2009
2009 in film

The year '2009 in film' has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels and remakes such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Friday the 13th , Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Saw VI, Transformers: Reven...
 direct-to-DVD sequel, Legally Blondes
Legally Blondes

Legally Blondes is an upcoming 2009 in film direct-to-video sequel to Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Reese Witherspoon will not return as Elle Woods in this film, however, the film will star Camilla and Rebecca Rosso and Brittany Curran....
. Additionally, Legally Blonde: The Musical
Legally Blonde (musical)

Legally Blonde is a musical theatre based on the Amanda Brown novel and the 2001 film of Legally Blonde. The musical features a book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell....
 premiered on January 23, 2007 in San Francisco
San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
 and opened in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre (Albany, New York)

The Palace Theatre is an entertainment venue in downtown Albany, New York. Opened in October 1931, it is located on the corner of Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street....
 on Broadway
Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
 on April 29, 2007, starring Laura Bell Bundy.The musical has since closed on Broadway.

Plot

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer, who has established herself as a one of Hollywood top actresses in recent years....
) is portrayed as the typical pampered rich girl, growing up in Bel Air
Bel Air

Bel Air may refer to:Places in the United States:* Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California, a district of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States...
, across the street from Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling

Aaron Spelling was an United States film producer and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's company holds the record as the most prolific television producer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits....
. She is president of her sorority, Delta Nu, at the fictitious CULA, the California University of Los Angeles. Nearing graduation, Elle expects her Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, it is the United States' oldest law school in continuous operation....
-bound boyfriend
Boyfriend

Boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a Romance or sexual relationship, which falls short of a long-term committed relationship. On the other hand, the term "boy friend" can refer to a male non-romantic and non-sexual friend....
, Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis

Matthew W. Davis is an United States actor.Davis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began his acting career at the University of Utah. His movie debut was in 2000 in film, with the well-reviewed film Tigerland....
), to propose, but he instead breaks up with her, insisting that she is not "serious" and would hinder his political future, Elle later finds out that Warner's brother, Putnam Bowes Huntington III, is marrying Muffy Walker Vanderbilt, a first-year Yale
YALE

RapidMiner is an environment for machine learning and data mining experiments. It allows experiments to be made up of a large number of arbitrarily nestable operators, described in XML files which can easily be created with RapidMiner's graphical user interface....
 law student. Crushed, Elle decides the only way to way to win Warner back is to attend Harvard Law School. With an exceptional LSAT score (179), a 4.0 GPA (albeit achieved as a fashion merchandising major), and a confident application video featuring her in a bikini, Elle's application materials manage to convince the admissions board to grant her admission.

At Harvard, Elle is initially met with hostility and skepticism of her abilities, and she finds Warner is already engaged to fellow law student Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair
Selma Blair

Selma Blair is an American actress. After numerous supporting roles in the 1990s, she starred in the film Cruel Intentions and the short-lived TV series Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane in 1999....
). Vivian reluctantly invites Elle to a party, but tells her it is a costume party (which it is not) to humiliate her. Though she shows up dressed as a Playboy bunny
Playboy Bunny

A Playboy Bunny is a waiter at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006....
, Elle is unfazed. She confronts Warner and finds that his perception of her is unaffected by her accomplishments.

Spurred by his dismissive remarks, Elle immerses herself in her studies and becomes a top student in her class. She still finds it hard to be taken seriously, although Emmett Richmond (Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson

Luke Cunningham Wilson is an United States film actor. He is the younger brother of Owen Wilson and Andrew Wilson , and is considered a member of the Frat Pack....
), the trial assistant of Callahan (Victor Garber
Victor Garber

Victor Joseph Garber is a six-time Emmy Award-nominated Canada film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is perhaps best known for playing Jack Bristow in the television series Alias and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic . As of 2008 he has a main role on the television series Eli Stone as Jordan Wethersby....
), one of Elle's professors, is friendly to her and recognizes her potential. She also forms a bond with manicurist, Paulette, who has recently been through a divorce, giving Paulette advice on attracting the attention of the UPS
United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc. , commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company. UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world....
 guy she is interested in and also using her legal knowledge to allow Paulette to regain custody of her dog from her ex-husband.

Along with Warner and Vivian, Elle is hired as an intern at Callahan's firm. They are assigned the case of defending a young woman, Brooke Taylor Windham (Ali Larter
Ali Larter

Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is a Saturn Award-nominated American actor and former Model best known for her screen roles aimed at teenage audiences....
), accused of murdering her wealthy husband. Windham is coincidentally a former member of Elle's sorority and a famous fitness instructor, facts that convince Elle of her innocence (Her reasoning being that exercise produces endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, so happy people don't shoot their husbands). Her stepdaughter and the household's "cabana boy" Enrique Salvatore (Greg Serano
Greg Serano

Greg Serano is an United States actor. He was most known for his role of Pablo Betart on Wildfire .Serano lives with his wife, actress Carmen Serano , stepson Mark, and daughters Cheyenne and Nya in New Mexico....
) attest to finding Windham standing over her husband's dead body, Enrique even claiming to have had an affair with her.

After Windham refuses Callahan's request for an alibi, Elle visits her in jail where she confides that she was having liposuction
Liposuction

Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty , liposculpture suction lipectomy or simply lipo is a plastic surgery operation that removes fat from many different sites on the human body....
 at the time of her husband's death. Worried that this would destroy her reputation as a fitness guru, she asks that Elle keep the alibi secret. Elle complies despite pressure from Callahan. Vivian is extremely impressed that Elle kept the alibi, and the two start to become friends, Vivian even admitting that Warner only got into Harvard because his father pulled some strings.

Elle has more and more success with her trial, using her knowledge of the fashion world and intuition to help her move closer to winning the trial, most notably when deducing that Enrique is gay after he correctly identifies her shoe style; straight men have no clue about fashion. Callahan has a private discussion with Elle after a session. To her disgust, he reveals he finds her attractive and begins to caress her thigh. Elle angrily storms out, is met by Vivian, who witnessed Callahan touching Elle’s leg, and lashes out at her. Convinced that she will never be taken seriously, Elle decides to quit and return to California. Emmett attempts to encourage her, but Elle's spirits are still crushed and she retreats to the salon to bid farewell to Paulette, who has become her friend. At the salon she encounters another of her teachers, Professor Stromwell, who further encourages her, saying "If you're going to let one stupid pig ruin your life, you're not the girl I thought you were". With her confidence returned, Elle decides to return to court. Windham fires Callahan and hires Elle as her new attorney (with Emmett, who is a licensed attorney, supervising).

During her cross-examination, the victim's daughter, Chutney Windham (Linda Cardellini
Linda Cardellini

Linda Edna Cardellini is an United States television and film actor. She is perhaps best known for her roles as high school student List of Freaks and Geeks characters#Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, as Velma Dinkley in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, as Samantha in the comedy Grandma's Boy, and as Samantha Taggart on ER ...
), claims to have been taking a shower and washing her hair at the time of the murder. Elle also asks the daughter what she had been doing earlier that day, and one of the things she includes in her answer is that she had a perm
Permanent wave

A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, is the chemical and/or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls. The use of the word 'permanent' is justified insofar as when the wave is permed, it remains so; however, as the hair grows, the new hair that grows has not been waved, while cutting the hair from the end removes that whi...
 done. Elle argues that having had her hair permed earlier that day, a shower would have deactivated the ammonium thioglycolate
Ammonium thioglycolate

Ammonium thioglycolate, also known as perm salt, is the chemical compound with the formula HSCH2CO2NH4....
 and would have ruined her curls, which are nevertheless still intact. Badgered by Elle's aggressive questioning, the daughter finally breaks down in tears and confesses to accidentally shooting her father, believing he was her stepmother, whom she resented for being the same age as she. With this, she is arrested and Brooke is cleared of all charges.

The end of the film shows that Elle graduated from Harvard as the class-elected speaker of her graduate class with high honors, and she has been recommended to one of the country's most successful law firms. Now Elle's best friend, Vivian has called off her engagement to Warner, who graduates with no honors or any prestigious job offers. Paulette is now the UPS guy's wife, and they are expecting a baby which they will name Elle. Emmett, now Elle's boyfriend of two years, is revealed to be planning to propose to Elle the night of the graduation.

Cast

  • Reese Witherspoon
    Reese Witherspoon

    Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer, who has established herself as a one of Hollywood top actresses in recent years....
     as Elle Woods
  • Luke Wilson
    Luke Wilson

    Luke Cunningham Wilson is an United States film actor. He is the younger brother of Owen Wilson and Andrew Wilson , and is considered a member of the Frat Pack....
     as Emmett Richmond
  • Selma Blair
    Selma Blair

    Selma Blair is an American actress. After numerous supporting roles in the 1990s, she starred in the film Cruel Intentions and the short-lived TV series Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane in 1999....
     as Vivian Kensington
  • Matthew Davis
    Matthew Davis

    Matthew W. Davis is an United States actor.Davis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began his acting career at the University of Utah. His movie debut was in 2000 in film, with the well-reviewed film Tigerland....
     as Warner Huntington III
  • Victor Garber
    Victor Garber

    Victor Joseph Garber is a six-time Emmy Award-nominated Canada film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is perhaps best known for playing Jack Bristow in the television series Alias and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic . As of 2008 he has a main role on the television series Eli Stone as Jordan Wethersby....
     as Professor Callahan
  • Jennifer Coolidge
    Jennifer Coolidge

    'Jennifer Coolidge' is an American Actor best known for playing "Stifler's mom", the consummate "MILF ", in the film American Pie , Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story , Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel, and the voice of List of characters in Robots#Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots '...
     as Paulette Bonafonté
  • Holland Taylor
    Holland Taylor

    Holland Taylor is an Emmy-Award winning United States actor, known for her film, television and theatre work. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, as Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and as Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half Men....
     as Professor Stromwell
  • Ali Larter
    Ali Larter

    Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is a Saturn Award-nominated American actor and former Model best known for her screen roles aimed at teenage audiences....
     as Brooke Taylor Windham
  • Jessica Cauffiel
    Jessica Cauffiel

    Jessica Cauffiel is an United States film and television actress....
     as Margot
  • Alanna Ubach
    Alanna Ubach

    'Alanna Noel Ubach' is an United States actor. She has provided voices of several characters in a number of animated shows, such as El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and Brandy & Mr....
     as Serena McGuire
  • Oz Perkins
    Oz Perkins

    Osgood Robert "Oz" Perkins II is an United States actor.He was born in New York City, New York, the elder son of the actor Anthony Perkins and the photographer and actress Berry Berenson, who was killed in the 9-11 attacks....
     as "Dorky" David Kidney
  • Linda Cardellini
    Linda Cardellini

    Linda Edna Cardellini is an United States television and film actor. She is perhaps best known for her roles as high school student List of Freaks and Geeks characters#Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, as Velma Dinkley in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, as Samantha in the comedy Grandma's Boy, and as Samantha Taggart on ER ...
     as Chutney Windham
  • Bruce Thomas
    Bruce Thomas (actor)

    Bruce Thomas is an United States of America actor known for briefly portraying the character of Batman in a Batman OnStar commercials for General Motors' OnStar service that aired throughout 2001 and 2002....
     as Kyle the UPS Guy
  • Meredith Scott Lynn
    Meredith Scott Lynn

    Meredith Scott Lynn is an American actress, movie producer, and film director. She attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City....
     as Enid Wexler
  • Wayne Federman
    Wayne Federman

    Wayne Federman is an United States comedian, actor, and writer. He is noted for his numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs and on television, his biography of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, and his supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, ''Curb Your Enthusiasm, ''Legally Blonde, ''50 First Dates...
     as Harvard Admissions Counselor
  • Raquel Welch
    Raquel Welch

    Raquel Welch is a Golden Globe winning, American actress....
     as Mrs. Windham Vandermark
  • Greg Serano
    Greg Serano

    Greg Serano is an United States actor. He was most known for his role of Pablo Betart on Wildfire .Serano lives with his wife, actress Carmen Serano , stepson Mark, and daughters Cheyenne and Nya in New Mexico....
     as Enrique Salvatore


Reception

The film was met with a mixed to generally positive reception from critics, earning "fresh rating" of 68% positive ratings in the Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical clich? of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad....
 compilation of 130 reviews. Most reviews lauded Reese Witherspoon's lead performance even if they denigrated the overall merit of the film. Metacritic
Metacritic

Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, console game, film, television program, DVDs, and books. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged....
 reported the film had an average score of 59 out of 100, based on 31 reviews.

The movie was an unexpected hit
Sleeper hit

A sleeper hit refers to a film, book, Single , album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition.Sleeper films...
, grossing over US$
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
20 million in its opening weekend and ending its run with over US$96 million in the U.S. and more than US$141 million worldwide. It made Witherspoon an A-list
A-list

The A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, and/or the most bankable star in the Cinema of the United States Film industry.The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood....
 actress and one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood (she would be paid US$15 million to star in the sequel). After this movie, Witherspoon had a string of hit movies including the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, is the 2003 in film sequel film to 2001's Legally Blonde. It was once again produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and again starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle, as well as Luke Wilson, Sally Field, Regina King, Bruce McGill, and Bob Newhart....
, Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (film)

Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 in film romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant and stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. The film was released on September 27, 2002....
 and Walk the Line
Walk the Line

Walk the Line is a 2005 in film Cinema of the United States biographical film drama film, directed by James Mangold and based on the life of country music singer-songwriter Johnny Cash....
, the latter landing her an Oscar for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry....
 for playing June Carter.

In 2007, a musical adaption
Legally Blonde (musical)

Legally Blonde is a musical theatre based on the Amanda Brown novel and the 2001 film of Legally Blonde. The musical features a book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell....
 premiered on Broadway to mostly positive reviews, starring Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Bell Bundy

Laura Ashley Bell Bundy is a Tony Award-nominated United States actress and singer who has been seen in a number of Broadway theatre roles, both starring and supporting, as well as in television and film....
 as Elle, Christian Borle
Christian Borle

Christian Borle is a Tony Award-nominated United States actor. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Borle has been primarily featured as an actor in Broadway theatre productions....
 as Emmett, Orfeh
Orfeh

Orfeh is an United States singer and Tony Award nominated actress....
 as Paulette, Nikki Snelson as Brooke, Richard H. Blake as Warner, Kate Shindle as Vivienne, and Michael Rupert
Michael Rupert

Michael John Rupert is an United States actor, singer, theatre director and composer.Rupert made his Broadway debut in 1968 in Kander & Ebb's The Happy Time where he received his first Tony nomination....
 as Callahan. Other cast members included Andy Karl
Andy Karl

Andy Karl is an American actor.He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and moved to New York City at a young age to pursue acting. He made his Broadway theatre debut in Saturday Night , where he met his wife Orfeh....
, Leslie Kritzer
Leslie Kritzer

Leslie Kritzer is an award-winning Broadway theatre actress. She was last seen on Broadway theatre in the musical A Catered Affair. She is from Livingston, New Jersey, where her music teacher was Jacqueline M....
, Annaleigh Ashford
Annaleigh Ashford

Annaleigh Ashford is an United States actress known for her recent Broadway theatre credits in Wicked and Legally Blonde ....
, DeQuina Moore
DeQuina Moore

DeQuina Moore is an United States actress who is probably most notably known for her role as Pilar in Legally Blonde: The Musical....
, and Natalie Joy Johnson. The show, Bundy, Borle, and Orfeh were all nominated for Tony Awards. Later, the Broadway show was the focus of an MTV reality TV series called Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods
Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods

Legally Blonde ? The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods is an MTV program created in order to cast an actress to replace Laura Bell Bundy in the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway theatre production of Legally Blonde ....
, in which the winner would take over the role of Elle on Broadway. Bailey Hanks
Bailey Hanks

Bailey Noel Hanks is an American singer, actress, and dancer best known for winning MTV Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods....
 from Anderson, South Carolina, won the competition.

Production

Top Hip Hop choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo
Tabitha D'umo

Tabitha D'umo, originally from New Jersey, is a choreographer and dancer who is often credited as being the hardest hitting female hip hop dancer in the world....
 choreographed the famous "Bend and Snap" routine before they took off as famous dancers/choreographers for the hit FOX show SYTYCD.

Although the film's setting is Harvard University
Harvard University

Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the Colonial Colleges institution of higher learning in the United States....
, it was actually filmed at USC
University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park, Los Angeles, California neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
, UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
, and Rose City High School in Pasadena, California. The real Harvard only appears briefly in certain aerial shots.

The film was originally set to take place at the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School

The University of Chicago Law School, having recently celebrated its centennial in the 2002-2003 school year, has established itself as a high profile part of the University of Chicago....
, but administration at the school did not approve the film, because of a scene in which a professor places his hand on Elle's leg.

The producers intentionally gave Elle a different hairstyle for every scene.

This was the second film that Witherspoon and Blair starred in together, the first being Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions

Cruel Intentions is a 1999 in film United States feature film starring Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair....
.

This is also the second film that Witherspoon and Alanna Ubach
Alanna Ubach

'Alanna Noel Ubach' is an United States actor. She has provided voices of several characters in a number of animated shows, such as El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and Brandy & Mr....
 starred in together, the first being Freeway
Freeway

A freeway is a type of road designed for Road safety#Motorway high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections....
.

Comparisons

There are numerous references to The Paper Chase
The Paper Chase

The Paper Chase is a 1971 in literature novel, as well as a The Paper Chase based on the novel and a The Paper Chase based on the movie....
 (which is also set at Harvard Law) including a scene in which Elle brings food to her ex-boyfriend and says, "I brought you sustenance." In The Paper Chase, the main character complains to his girlfriend that she has failed to provide sustenance.

While Elle is a sister of Delta Nu sorority in the film, the sorority mentioned in the novel is Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma

Delta Gamma is one of the oldest, largest and prestigious women's fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio....
.

In the original novel, Elle does not go to Harvard Law. She goes to Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located near Palo Alto, California, United States, in Silicon Valley. The Law School was established in 1893 when former POTUS Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law....
.

Goofs

The case against Brooke Taylor Windham is identified as The "State" vs. Windham. However, Massachusetts is a commonwealth so this designation is legally incorrect.

Pop culture references

  • In Elle's application video, she proves her ability to recall information "at the drop of a hat" by relating a Days of our Lives
    Days of our Lives

    Days of our Lives is an United States soap opera, which has aired nearly every weekday since November 8, 1965 on the NBC network in the United States, and has since been syndicated to many countries around the world....
     storyline in which heroine Hope Brady is brainwashed by "the evil Stefano", which roughly corresponds to the time frame in which the movie was filmed.
  • In one scene, Elle is watching General Hospital
    General Hospital

    General Hospital is an United States soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network during the day and on SOAPnet each weeknight....
    , which features Rebecca Herbst
    Rebecca Herbst

    Rebecca Herbst is an United States actress, best known for playing nurse Elizabeth Webber on the longrunning daytime drama General Hospital, a role she originated on August 1, 1997, and Suzee, an alien on the Nickelodeon show, Space Cases....
     (Elizabeth Webber
    Elizabeth Webber

    Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke* Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
    ) and Jacob Young
    Jacob Young

    Jacob Wayne Young is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and singer....
     (Lucky Spencer
    Lucky Spencer

    Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer Jr. is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer....
    ).
  • A TV series pilot was shot with Jennifer Hall
    Jennifer Hall

    Jennifer Hall is an United States actress. She is most known for portraying herself on HBO reality show Unscripted. She also had the leading role in the TV version of Legally Blonde ....
     playing Elle Woods in 2003, but it was not picked up.
  • Elle's dog, Bruiser, stares longingly at the Taco Bell chihuahua
    Taco Bell chihuahua

    The Taco Bell chihuahua was a popular advertising character and mascot developed by TBWA and used by Taco Bell, which is a division of Kentucky, United States-based Yum! Brands, Inc.....
     during a scene in which a television is on the background. In the film's sequel, the dog that plays Bruiser's mother is the dog who appears in the ads (Gidget).


Trivia

Elle picks up an Apple iBook
IBook

The iBook is a line of laptop computers that was developed and sold by Apple Inc. between 1999 and 2006. It was targeted at the consumer and education markets, with fewer features and lower prices than the PowerBook....
 G3 in Tangerine after storming out of the party where she was dressed as a Playboy bunny
Playboy Bunny

A Playboy Bunny is a waiter at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006....


See also

  • Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) - The sequel to the film.
  • Legally Blondes
    Legally Blondes

    Legally Blondes is an upcoming 2009 in film direct-to-video sequel to Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Reese Witherspoon will not return as Elle Woods in this film, however, the film will star Camilla and Rebecca Rosso and Brittany Curran....
     (2008) - The second sequel to the film.
  • Legally Blonde: The Musical
    Legally Blonde (musical)

    Legally Blonde is a musical theatre based on the Amanda Brown novel and the 2001 film of Legally Blonde. The musical features a book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell....
     - The musical based on the film.


External links