Poor Elle Woods. In Washington on an animal rights crusade, she feels as
out of place as "open-toed shoes after Labor Day." Of course, dressing from
head to toe in an all hot-pink outfit, she doesn't exactly blend into the
Congressional scene.
As Elle, Reese Witherspoon repeats the role that made her LEGALLY BLONDE the
surprise summer hit a couple of years ago. I'd like to report that the
sequel, LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE, is just as funny as the
hilarious original, but it isn't. Released in time for the Independence Day
weekend, the movie spends most of its time fizzling like a wet firecracker.
Witherspoon is just as good as ever, but Kate Kondell's script keeps letting
the actress down. The production team doesn't. The sets and costumes are
again outlandishly fun. From her powder blue convertible to her little
dog's outfits, Elle is surrounded with visuals that are almost always much
better than her lines.
The plot has Elle off to Washington to stop animal testing for cosmetics.
Better to test them on humans than canines, the script argues. Since the
movie doesn't have enough time to get her elected, it makes her an aide to a
Representative played by the numbers by Sally Field. Will Elle, a.k.a.
"Capital Barbie," get her bill passed and keep animals from being the
subject of testing for human cosmetics? As Elle might say, "Well, duh!"
LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE runs 1:36. It is rated PG-13 for
"some sex-related humor" and would be acceptable for all ages.
My son Jeffrey, age 14, thought it was funny and gave it ***. He found the
plotline similar to the first, but he didn't find the sequel as fresh. He
said that his laugh count was much lower this time.
Copyright © 2003 Steve Rhodes
