Devin Stone, better known online as LegalEagle, an American YouTuber and lawyer, observed that the application process depicted in the film, in which Elle Woods sent a video essay to the Harvard Law School admissions committee, was not possible. “There`s no way to upload that into the law school`s application system,” Stone noted. [45] “During orientation, Harvard Law School actually released the clip of Elle`s admissions video, where the admissions committee decided to let her in, and then they swore they didn`t make any decision that way,” explained Harvard Law School student Jameyanne Fuller. [46] The writers wrote a new ending that takes place at graduation, which was filmed at Dulwich College in London, England, as Witherspoon filmed The Importance of Being Earnest in that city. Witherspoon also cut his hair for this film and Wilson shaved his head for The Royal Tenenbaums. As both actors had changed their hair for their next films, everyone had to wear wigs for the stage. [32] Verified reviews are considered more reliable by other moviegoers. While the images are predictable and stereotypical, Reese Witherspoon`s funny and nuanced portrayal makes this film better than it otherwise would have been. “When I got to law school, the hardest days, I watched the movie and laughed,” Shalyn Smith, a California law student and president of the sorority, said in an interview with People magazine. [54] “It embodies the struggle for what is right, to remain true to oneself and to overcome adversity. It`s crazy that a movie can do that, you know? [54] Others were more critical of the film and its script. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as “predictable, cute and surprisingly little real humor,” but “still passes thanks to Witherspoon`s magnetic presence.” [42] Michael O`Sullivan of The Washington Post called the film “Redux clueless, but without the edgy, knowing mind.” [43] Jessica Winter of The Village Voice called the film “a junk food movie that strives to be nutritious.” “This is one of your special offers Racier Be Yourself after school, crossed with Who Moved My Cheese? for the Cosmo girls,” Winter said.
[44] Some elements of law school are also omitted from the film. “The film completely skipped the first semester exams, which is like the most stressful time ever at law school,” Fuller said. [46] “No one really knew that Legally Blonde would be what it was, literally [my label bosses] saying, `This movie will be nothing.` And the next thing you know is like this iconic movie. And my song opens it! Hoku said in an interview with Billboard. [57] “Sitting at the premiere and hearing my song open the movie and everyone clapping — it was like, `I`ve really arrived now, guys.`” [57] Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, saying that the film was “impossible to refuse” and that “Witherspoon effortlessly animated this material with sunshine and sharp wit.” [37] Todd McCarthy of Variety said Witherspoon gave a “wonderful and winning” performance. “Witherspoon shines stars from every pore, not to mention her hair, and is once again proving to be an actress worthy of comparison to the greats of the golden age like Carole Lombard and Ginger Rogers.” Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune also praised Witherspoon`s performance, saying that his “comic timing is perfect, his personality irresistible. But it`s his wit and immersion in the role that really permeates the whole film and makes it work. He added that Witherspoon “pours so much humor and spice into Elle that she lifts up the whole film.” [39] B. Ruby Rich of The Nation called it “the best adolescent girls` empowerment film to come in ages.” [40] CNN`s Paul Clinton praised the film as “a brazen satire that preserves a message: believe in yourself and follow your dreams.” [41] Luketic explained that when the studio first gave the project the green light, he didn`t know the film would be structured as a progressive wellness film to empower women. [12] “Initially, they thought it would be a lot more T-shirts and wet breasts than turned out,” Luketic said. [12] In fact, the first script of Legally Blonde was edgy and steamy like American Pie. The murder trial was not part of the plot and the film ended with Elle entering into a relationship with a teacher.
“He went from non-stop Zingers, who were very mature by nature, to this universal story of overcoming adversity by being yourself,” Smith said. “At first, we thought, `Should we rob the store?` Co-writer Kirsten Smith said: “I think we spent a week or two figuring out what the B-plot and this big setting should be. There were criminal conspiracies. We pitched scene by scene and everything seemed very weird in terms of sound. [29] On Rotten Tomatoes, Legally Blonde has a 70% approval rating, based on reviews from 147 critics, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site`s consensus is as follows: “While the images are predictable and stereotypical, Reese Witherspoon`s funny and nuanced portrayal makes this film better than it otherwise would have been.” [34] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”. [35] Moviegoers surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an “A−” rating on an A-F scale.[36] Stay up to date with the latest news from Rotten Tomatoes! Tap Sign Up at the bottom to receive our weekly newsletter with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcasts, and more. By choosing to verify your ticket for this film, you authorize us to match the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account with an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same film. “When I saw the film, I felt it gave me a real wave of motivation because I really identified with her,” family lawyer Layla Summers told Spectrum News.[53] “I think the film is still very relevant,” she added. “Just being a girl and being a woman, the odds are always against you. When I watch the film now, I feel like I`m part of a big club of powerful professional women, like a sisterhood.
The film originally ended at the courthouse, just after Woods won the case, with Elle on the steps of the courthouse sharing a kiss of victory with Emmett, then cutting a year into the future to see her with a now-blonde Vivian form their own blonde legal defense club at law school.[53] .
