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Legally Blonde 2 (Red, White & Blonde), Reese Witherspoon (2003)
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Synopsis of the DVD Movie: Legally Blonde 2
America’s favorite blonde is back! Reese Witherspoon returns as brainy bombshell Elle Woods in the sunny summer comedy Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Having conquered Harvard, Elle is now a rising young lawyer at a great firm, balancing her demanding career with preparations for her wedding to the man of her dreams. But when she finds out her beloved dog Bruiser’s family members are being used as cosmetic test subjects by one of her firm’s own clients, she stands up for their rights—and is promptly fired. She’s devastated, but you can’t keep an optimist down. Ms. Woods goes to Washington to take matters into her own French-manicured hands.
Trying to learn the political ropes and win over politicians, Elle faces a formidable challenge—and in a sea of gray, black, and navy, she sticks out like a pink thumb. Others on The Hill aren’t immediately kind to “Capitol Barbie,” and D.C. isn’t an easy place for a person with impeccable fashion sense and a Harvard Law degree. But with her clever and sassy signature blend of intelligence and determination, she bucks the system the Elle Woods way.
After Legally Blonde became a breakaway hit and launched Reese Witherspoon into the stratosphere, audiences demanded to see more of Elle Woods. Not only was Witherspoon’s creation acclaimed by critics (she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her performance), but filmgoers loved Elle’s luminous brand of resolve and fair-haired intellect. With designer clothes, a perfect head of hair, and the heart and mind to fill them out, audiences found a new favorite heroine.
“In that first movie, I loved that Elle so enjoys being a woman,” says Witherspoon. “She loves being girly, she loves her shoes, her nails, her hair. But she also has real ambition, real drive, real smarts. People really connected with her. They understood who Elle was, so we needed to raise the stakes and put her in an even more complicated and difficult scenario.”
In addition to reprising her role, Witherspoon also served as executive producer on Legally Blonde 2. “It was a real treat to start working on the sequel even earlier in the process,” says Witherspoon. “I wasn’t involved in pre-production on the first film, so that was really exciting.”
DVD Movie Rating for: Legally Blonde 2
Rating for Legally Blonde 2: 2 out of 5 stars
Movie Plot of: Legally Blonde 2
Sassy postgrad Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is all about animal rights. In fact, she puts her nuptial plans on hold to head to Washington D.C. to get an anti-animal testing bill passed. Her building's doorman (Newhart) quickly shows her the ways and workings of our nation's capital.
"Pink-loving, blonde-haired Harvard Law School graduate Elle Woods (Witherspoon) returns in this sequel, as she turns her legal and fashion-savvy know-how towards getting a bill passed through Congress, relocating a second time, after adapting her Beverly Hills ways to Harvard, and now... Washington, D.C. The issue at hand is animal testing, which Elle becomes concerned about when the parents of her dog can't attend the pet's wedding because of it. Arriving at the Watergate and not knowing where to begin in the city, she befriends the hotel's elderly doorman, Sidney (Newhart), who becomes her guide to the way the political system works, and how to get her legislation... legislated."
DVD Production Details of: Legally Blonde 2
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
Studio: MGM/UA Video
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2003
DVD Features:
Commentary by the cast
Theatrical trailer(s)
Deleted scenes
Gag reel
"We Can" music video with LeAnn Rimes
"Welcome to Delta Nu" interactive quiz
"Blonde Ambition" featurette
Behind-the-scenes photo gallery
Widescreen anamorphic format
DVD Easter Eggs
Cast of the movie: Legally Blonde 2
- Reese Witherspoon.... Elle Woods
- Sally Field.... Rep. Rudd
- Bob Newhart .... Sidney Post
- Luke Wilson .... Emmett Richmond
- Jennifer Coolidge.... Paulette Bonafonté
- Regina King .... Grace Stoteraux
- Jessica Cauffiel .... Margot
- Alanna Ubach .... Serena McGuire
- Stanley Anderson .... Michael Blaine
- J Barton .... Timothy McGinn
- Elizabeth Beckwith .... Mira
- Katarina Choi .... Delta-Nu #5
- Lauren Cohn .... Amy
- Erin Cottrell .... Sorotity President
- Bryan Cuprill .... Congressional Aide
- Jeffrey Gelber .... Congressional Aide
- Karen Gordon (II) .... Congressional Aide
- Dale Waddington Horowitz .... Seamstress
- Dana Ivey
- Aden Kadri
- Desi Lydic .... Katie
- Tane McClure .... Mrs. Woods
- Bruce McGill
- Masi Oka .... Congressional Intern
- Matt Price .... Cole's Aide
- Victor Raider-Wexler
- Mary Lynn Rajskub .... Renna Giuliani
- Tanja Reichert .... Delta-Nu #7
- Christina Sheldon .... Kippy, Delta-Nu #16
- Scott Sobol .... Congressional Intern
- Carlin Traxler
Photo Gallery of the movie: Legally Blonde 2
Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs
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Reviews of the movie: Legally Blonde 2
The winning comic finesse of Reese Witherspoon drives Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde. It's astonishing that the sequel could possibly be daffier than the first movie, but Legally Blonde 2 leaves reality behind like an unflattering outfit. Unemployed lawyer Elle Woods (Witherspoon) sets off to our nation's capitol to ban cosmetics testing on animals, after discovering that her beloved chihuahua's own mother is being used as a test subject. Washington, D.C., becomes a testing ground for Elle's mettle, as she grapples with callous committees, backstabbing representatives, and devious aides to get her bill considered by Congress, with some help from her sorority sisters and her hairdresser friend Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind). Witherspoon bursts with charisma and dazzles with sheer performing skill; she's the comic heir to screwball comedienne Carole Lombard--which is high praise. Also featuring Bob Newhart and Sally Field
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
I'll admit it, I like sequels. I love ongoing stories that envelop the viewer, along with opportunities to dig in deeper with characters and situations. And then there's `Legally Blonde 2,' an impulsive cash-in from a hit-starved studio. It reeks of a rush job sent out to steal the remaining good will left behind by the original film.
After her Harvard triumphs two years ago, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is now living the comfortable life working in a law office, and planning her nuptials to Emmett (Luke Wilson). Her first priority is helping her chiwawa, Bruiser, find out who his mother is. The quest brings Elle to an animal testing facility where Bruiser's mother is held. Unable to rescue her, Elle heads to Washington D.C. to try and pass a bill ending the use of animals for cosmetic testing. Upon arrival, Elle's vibrant nature is at odds with her co-workers (Regina King, Mary Lynn Rajskub), but soon her Prada personality and Versace sense of style begins to rub off on the stuffy politicians, with only one lone senator (Sally Field) out to block Elle's popular bill.
Watching `Legally Blonde 2,' I kept having to remind myself that I enjoyed the first `Blonde' film back in 2001. `Blonde' was a quiet, modest powder puff of a movie, relying on Reese Witherspoon's debatable charm, and director Robert Luketic's winning amount of flair he pumped into the film. `Blonde' was eventually stolen by ace comic actress Jennifer Coolidge (`Best In Show`), turning the often feeble comedy into huge laughs. Scrambling for a sequel when `Blonde' turned into a worldwide hit, `Blonde 2' becomes a mess. It's an obnoxious, ugly sequel that reminds me why sequels often get such a bad rap.
Replacing Luketic in `Blonde 2' is director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. His previous film was the endurance-testing lesbian comedy `Kissing Jessica Stein,' and Herman-Wurmfeld brings those very same attributes to `Blonde 2.' He's an agonizingly bland director, framing each shot as if it was a made-for-television production, and taking the pizzazz out of what is trying to be a colorful production. This movie genuinely looks terrible (shot by Elliot Davis, `White Oleander`), which is especially depressing when you take into consideration the greater amount of money they had for this production. The flat design of the film works directly against the pinkified good time fun that the film is purporting.
The choices for comedy are also suspect in `Blonde 2.' By this time, the Elle Woods fish-out-of-water material is pretty wheezy, having been worked out thoroughly in the first picture. That doesn't stop the screenwriters and Herman-Wurmfeld from trying to squeeze laughs from that teat again; placing Elle in the crusty confines of Washington, and praying the contrast will do the rest of the work. Another mistake was paying so much attention to Bruiser. Cute in `Blonde,' Bruiser is actually made part of the story in `Blonde 2,' and the director gets a little carried away cutting to the canine's reaction whenever he needs a cheap and easy laugh. The screenplay also reveals the dog's homosexual leanings, which is as bizarre as it reads. Nothing screams `WE'VE GOT NOTHING, FOLKS!' more than having a gay dog subplot in your movie. Well, that and forcing comedian Bob Newhart to say `Fa Shizzle.' Terrible.
Forced to sit through Witherspoon's tired shopgirl act for yet another film (there's only so much her smile can do to help her), hope was promised with the return of Jennifer Coolidge as one of Elle's friends. I was heartbroken, however, to discover that Herman-Wurmfeld had coached Coolidge to yell all of her lines out, mistaking volume for a pathway to hilarity. Out of sheer talent, Coolidge manages to get the only laugh out of the film. Her presence is wasted, cranked up to the unbearable pitch the rest of the picture plays at.
