This is the film that made Reese Witherspoon a Hollywood mainstay and a household name. It also, inadvertently, created a type for its star to work against during at least the next decade of her career. While it’s nothing terribly original, Legally Blonde manages to inject enough cultural awareness and genuine humor to make it an enjoyable affair.
Witherspoon plays Elle Woods, a stereotypical dumb blonde. She’s pretty, she’s popular and she’s a sorority girl. Instead of getting engaged, her boyfriend dumps her because he has lofty career aspirations that require a more sensible and serious partner. Naturally, Elle decides to prove herself worthy of his love by enrolling in the same law school he is attending.
Legally Blonde is a combination of several comedy and film sub-genres. It’s part fish-out-of-water tale, as Elle is completely clueless when it comes to legal jargon and procedures. There’s an underdog element to the story, as Elle struggles to win her peers over and prove that she can do this. It’s also part coming-of-age tale because Elle matures during her time in law school and comes out a different person. The filmmakers also inject a goofy attempt at courtroom drama, which allows Elle to showcase her legal skills.
All of these elements tossed together in the same film could have resulted in a messy hodgepodge affair that is more worthy of a Golden Raspberry Award than it is laughs but Legally Blonde manages to avoid its seeming blueprint for disaster. Witherspoon loses herself in her role, embracing the caricature that is Elle Woods. As corny as the character may be, the consistency of Witherspoon’s performance is the glue that holds everything together.
There’s some slapstick humor, a few sight gags and while most of the humor comes across as either unsurprising or occasionally forced, it never feels contrived. The writing hits a few high points when it throws out cultural references and uses fashion lingo. Without these moments of inspired writing, the film would have come off as too generic.
The different resolutions between characters are all fairly predictable, ending the movie on a slightly stale note. This does little to affect the films aftertaste though. After all is said and done, Legally Blonde leaves you as a cheerful, colorful and quirky film. It may not be terribly original but it’s creative and funny enough to remember in a good light.
As a fan of Johnny Cash’s music, I looked forward to seeing this film but was leery as to how whitewashed it might be about The Man in Black’s early career. Cash fell into severe drug addictions and was quite a rough-and-tumble fellow. Fortunately, this biopic captures it all pretty well.
Growing up in the 90s made it clear to me that the rock n roll lifestyle was a dangerous one. The deaths of high profile musicians from bands like Sublime, Blind Mellon and most importantly Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain hammered home the fact that musicians can lead very troubled lives. Given that nostalgia paints a cheery picture of a simpler time where bad things just didn’t happen as often are largely false, and Walk The Line asserts these facts by showing the human side of Johnny Cash and his weakness for narcotics.
The film only focuses on Cash’s early career, when he breaks into the music scene, meets future wife June Carter and gets hooked on pills. The relationship between Cash and Carter develops at a rocky pace and Carter, initially turned off by Cash’s attitude and feelings, becomes his saving grace.
While the film really captures Cash’s life well, it’s also not the happiest film ever made. Bleak and depressing at times, the movie also seems to drag on in places and even seems to cover perhaps too much, leaving some parts feeling rushed and others overexposed. Nevertheless, Walk the Line is a solid film and a touching human drama.
Dry, witty British humor from legendary playwright Oscar Wilde will either sink or swim in the minds of American viewers, who typically don’t dig (or simply don’t understand) Brit wit. While The Importance of Being Earnest is humorous, it seems to drag on at only 97 minutes long.
The story is genuinely funny, but the actors could have done better. Everything is just too subdued, even the zaniness of the two lead men. My only other complaint is with Reese Witherspoon. It should be a general rule of them that British people should play British people in British comedies. Granted, I portrayed a British man in a play once, but I think this rule of thumb should be applied stringently with film portrayals. Granted, Reese Witherspoon is quite likely the only selling point of this movie, as those who are very gung ho about their literature just won’t accept an American playing a Brit, and Witherspoon is popular with the ladies and very likely the only person in the film that American audiences will recognize.
A rather decent production, but it’s the kind of movie you can only watch if you’re in the right mood for something of its kind.
This is the film that made Reese Witherspoon a Hollywood mainstay and a household name. It also, inadvertently, created a type for its star to work against during at least the next decade of her career. While it’s nothing terribly original, Legally Blonde manages to inject enough cultural awareness and genuine humor to make it an enjoyable affair.
As a fan of Johnny Cash’s music, I looked forward to seeing this film but was leery as to how whitewashed it might be about The Man in Black’s early career. Cash fell into severe drug addictions and was quite a rough-and-tumble fellow. Fortunately, this biopic captures it all pretty well.
Dry, witty British humor from legendary playwright Oscar Wilde will either sink or swim in the minds of American viewers, who typically don’t dig (or simply don’t understand) Brit wit. While The Importance of Being Earnest is humorous, it seems to drag on at only 97 minutes long.
