I have seen this film countless times, but it contains a good message and is largely enjoyable.
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a fashion design major and is hugely involved in her sorority. She also has a devoted boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis). However, on the night when Elle believes that Warner will propose to her, everything goes wrong. He dumps her because he feels that she is not serious enough for his lifestyle, which includes going to Harvard Law School. Elle takes the break up hard, but decides that she must win him back so she actually studies and gets accepted into Harvard Law School, though it probably has little to do with her brains.
At Harvard, she doesn't fit in, with her designer clothes and extreme attention to personal hygiene and Warner has a fiance, Vivian (Selma Blair) who hates Elle. The professors don't even like her as she doesn't take the classes seriously. One of her only allies is Emmett (Luke Wilson), Dr. Callahan's (Victor Garber) assistant and Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) who owns a local beauty salon where Elle goes to relax. Using her law skills, she even helps Paulette get her dog back from her nasty ex-common-law husband.
Eventually, Elle decides to take her classes seriously still trying in vain to prove Warner wrong, that she is just as smart as he is. And it pays off, her nasty professor (Holland Taylor) no longer thinks she's insane and Elle even earns Dr. Callahan's internship which will include helping to defend Brooke Taylor Windham (Ali Larter), accused of murdering her much older husband. Elle is thrilled considering they were both in the same sorority, though Brooke was several years older. However, though Brooke has a great alibi (she was getting liposuction), because of her career as a fitness guru, it could ruin her. Elle keeps this to herself despite the pleas of the other interns, which include Warner and Vivian.
After discovering that one of the main witnesses against Brooke, the cabana boy, who claimed that he was having an affair with her, was actually gay. Callahan asks for some time alone and compliments Elle on her gut, but then hits on her. Elle leaves in a huff, convinced that she only got what she wanted because she was good looking. Vivian misinterprets the event as well. Luckily, before leaving, Elle told Emmett what actually happened who in turn tells Brooke. She fires Callahan and insists that Elle become her lawyer, with Emmett to supervise.
Here, Elle begins questioning the stepdaughter of Brooke, Chutney (Linda Cardellini) who hates her same age stepmother. Though the questioning starts off rough, upon hearing the news that Chutney had permed her hair earlier in the day before taking a shower when the shooting occurred, but that could not have been possible, given that the perm was still intact. Chutney was the one who killed her father, by accident, she really wanted to kill Brooke. Brooke is free.
Everything works out, Elle finishes law school and she and Emmett become a couple. Warner graduates also, but without honors or job prospects.
Though the film is nice, with Elle as a heroine to root for, the romantic comedy aspect, with her Emmett falls flat. Despite having chemistry, the two have few conversations together and they aren't really funny. However, the subplot of Paulette having a huge crush on the UPS delivery guy (Bruce Thomas) is much funnier with her learning the bend and snap move to impress him so he'll notice her, but this goes all wrong and she ends up breaking his nose, but they still manage to get together. That one is much funnier.
The plot also comes together rather quickly, tying up all the loose ends perfectly. Though the dialogue isn't all the most interesting, along with the plot, the acting is great with Reese Witherspoon deservingly breaking out with this performance though everyone is great, down to the smallest roles. There is also Elle's cute dog Bruiser so that is another thing the film has going for it. Despite being far from life altering, it is nevertheless an enjoyable experience and one that I will watch again and again. Grade: B
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