Reese Witherspoon dons her character’s obnoxious signature color, pink, for her return as Elle Woods: lawyer, spokesperson for intelligent blondes, and in “Legally Blonde 2,” political activist for animal rights. Finding herself working for a law firm that can’t get behind her campaign to free her beloved pet Chihuahua's mother from a research laboratory, Elle packs her designer bags and heads to Washington D.C. to make a difference. Working for Representative Rudd (Sally Field), it’s up to Elle to bring to fruition a bill that will ban the testing of cosmetics on animals.
Along the way she encounters resistance from a mob of supporting players, headed up by Regina King in a role that unfortunately doesn’t allow her much room to shine. There are side plots involving gay dogs in leather, Elle’s upcoming wedding, and the transformation of a drab coworker into the prom queen (sorry that’s “She’s All That,” I’m mixing my ‘transformation’ movies).
If you were a fan of the first “Legally Blonde” chances are good you’ll enjoy this second edition, especially if you’re looking for a fluffy escapist film where you can check your brain at the door. Reese Witherspoon as Elle still looks like she stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine, she still talks like a spoiled Bel Air brat, and she’s still adorable despite the over-the-top circumstances she finds herself in. Animal lovers will get behind the film’s animal-friendly script and for all the women out there who think Luke Wilson is this year’s best on-screen boyfriend (an honor bestowed on him in a recent poll), he returns as Luke’s patient, put-upon fiancée. Jennifer Coolidge steals scene after scene, Bob Newhart gets exposed to a new generation of fans, and Jessica Cauffiel and Alanna Ubach return as Elle’s sorority sisters, providing comic relief and most of the film’s funniest scenes.
The problem with “Legally Blonde 2” is that most of the jokes have a ‘been there done that’ feel to them. Sure this one’s set in a different courtroom, a different city, and with different antagonists, however it never really breaks away from the formula so successfully used in the original.
We all know what a sequel normally amounts to: a way to pocket money fast when there’s a dearth of fresh ideas. Does “Legally Blonde” fall victim to sequelitis? Not entirely, mainly due to the rescue efforts of Reese Witherspoon. Thankfully her charismatic way of turning even the silliest line into something fun saves this lightweight film from falling into the bottomless pit of meaningless sequels.
"Legally Blonde 2" is really your basic fun summer movie. Unless you find the thought of blondes with brains controversial, "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blue" is a pleasant, mostly painless, non-taxing diversion.
GRADE: B-
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" was directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (full cast and crew list) and is rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor.
