Legally Blonde

"Legally Blonde", dubbed by many as "Clueless goes to College", stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a fashion major and an apparently brainless blonde sorority babe. But when, on the evening she thinks he is going to propose, her boyfriend, Warner (Davis) decides it's time to find a more appropriately intelligent brunette. Dumped for the first time, she feels her life is over. She must win him back.

Elle snaps into action and decides to send in a Harvard application and follow him to law school. Her campaign to get into Harvard and woo Warner is different! Her persistence in improving her test scores is impressive, but she also submits a video as part of her application - she's bikini-clad in much of it, but Harvard, having decided to take a broad range of applicants this year, and never having had a fashion major offer her a place!

From the moment she arrives on campus, Elle is pegged as "Malibu Barbie." But it turns out that Elle isn't dumb, and she's twice as dedicated as anyone else. She's going places, including to a clerking position with a prestigious law firm, which entangles her in a murder trial and a whole pile of additional intrigue and possibilities for humour. Witherspoon's ability to be goofy, smart and loveable all at the same time takes this movie away from what could so easily have been terrible, into a funny and highly enjoyable piece of entertainment.

Legally Blonde is no classic, nor is it great court room drama, but it's good fun and well worth a look.

Vicki Robertson