The reason LEGALLY BLONDE II: RED, WHITE, AND BLONDE works is the same reason the original film did, Reese Witherspoon as Elle Wood, the fluffy blonde with the serious brains. She’s still a fashionista viewing the world through the rosy glow reflected from her pink wardrobe, but this time, having conquered Harvard Law School, she’s taking on the government.
As we catch up with Elle, she’s planning the wedding of the century to Emmett (Luke Wilson), the Harvard law professor she bowled over in LB I, and she’s about to get a promotion at the prestigious law firm where she works. In order to include all important family members in her wedding party, she hires the finest private investigator in Boston to find Bruiser’s mother. Bruiser, you recall, is Elle’s faithful Chihuahua and fellow snappy dresser. To her horror, she discovers that Bruiser’s mom is being used to test cosmetics and, in a decision that surprises no one more than Elle herself, she decides that beauty >can< have too high a price. So she heads to Washington in order to initiate legislation that makes animal testing illegal.
Elle stands out not only for her idealism, the sort that gets trampled underfoot in that cynical burg, but for her fashion sense. Literally. The filmmakers have her swimming against a tide of grey suits on her first day as she makes her way up the steps of Congress and into legislative history. That her pink ensemble, complete with pillbox hat, bears an unsettling resemblance to the one Jackie wore that fateful day in Dallas is, I like to think, coincidental.
The neophyte taking on the seat of power is a great premise, if not exactly a new one. Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra brought us MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON back in 1939 and screenwriters Eve Ahlert, Dennis Drake, and Kate Kondell have followed the structure of that film. It’s no coincidence that we see Elle watching that very film on television one night after a particularly disheartening day on the Hill. They have, however, slickly tailored the tale to Elle’s particular perky charm. Hence she wins over a crusty Congresswoman by discovering that they were both in the same sorority, and learns all the insider information she needs from her doorman (Bob Newhart being, well, Bob Newhart) after charming him with her breath-of-fresh-air attitude.
Naturally she wins over (mostly) the jaded senatorial staff she’s working with. And, further naturally, she discovers that her mentor, Senator Rudd (Sally Field) is playing politics rather than playing straight with her constituents. And even further naturally, she uses the skills that she learned as a sorority girl to overcome all obstacles and make the world a better place.
I’m not going to tell you that this isn’t fluff, though it is fluff with a timely humane message. Yet, there is such a solid core of unshakeable sincerity to Witherspoon’s performance that she is completely irresistible. You wouldn’t put five yards of grosgrain ribbon around your workspace to spruce it up, I wouldn’t either, but when Elle does it, it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s fabulous. The fun, as in LB I, is watching people react to her in horror, one staffer marvels at how shiny she is, and then, slowly be won over to her skewed but sharp view of the world.
As for taking on Washington armed only with brains and lofty goals and winning, yeah, that is a fantasy. It’s not how it is or probably ever will be, but gosh darn, wouldn’t it be nice if it were? And if it takes a woman in a pink suit carrying a Chihuahua to do it, well, why not?
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