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Click above to purchase "Legally Blonde: Special
Edition" at amazon.com
Legally Blonde
Special Edition
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Running Time: 96 minutes
Starring Reese Whitherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair,
Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge
Screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten
Smith
Based on the book by Amanda Brown
Directed by Robert Luketic
Studio: MGM
Retail Price: $26.98
Features: Audio Commentary with Director Robert
Luketic, Producer Mark Platt and Reese Whiterspoon, Audio
Commentary with Director Of Photography Anthony Richmond,
Costume Designer Sophie de Rakoff Carbonell, Production
Designer Melissa Stewart, Screenwriter Karen McCullah Lutz,
Screenwriter Kirsten Smith and Animal Trainer Sue
Chipperton, Trivia Track, Deleted Scenes with Introductions,
Inside "Legally Blonde" Featurette, The Hair That Ate
Hollywood Featurette, Hoku "Perfect Day" Music Video,
Theatrical Trailer, "The Princess Bride" DVD Trailer
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.33:1 Pan and
Scan, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, French Dolby
Stereo, Spanish Dolby Stereo, English Subtitles, French
Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, English Closed Captions, Scene
Selections (32 Scenes)
Reese Whiterspoon plays Elle Woods, a college sorority
queen who seems to have it all. Good friends, a nice
lifestyle and a loving boyfriend... that is, until her
boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis) breaks off their
relationship when Elle is expecting him to pop the big
question of marriage. Warner explains to Elle that he needs
some serious and not bubbly if he's to carry on his family's
legacy and be a senator. Very hurt, poor Elle just can't
seem to get over her snobby boyfriend. So, in hopes to win
him back, she decides to follow him to Harvard Law School in
"Legally Blonde", a surprisingly a really delightful
romantic comedy. Despite how predictable it really is,
there's a lot to like about this movie. I saw this movie in
the theaters, and thought I was not expecting too much, it
was one of the most enjoyable cinematic experiences I've had
in a long time to my surprise.
Like a lot of you (actually, I'm not sure how accurate
that statement is, seeing how this movie was a summer
sleeper raking in more than 85 million dollars at the box
office), the theatrical trailer originally turned me off
from seeing the film, but I will admit I did think it had a
pretty interesting premise so I decided to give it a chance
and actually did bother to go see it in the theater. I was
really, really surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. It's
not some girly movie, but rather a movie I think anyone
who's at least a teenager can enjoy. I can't remember the
last time I laughed so hard at a film... that's how good it
really is.
The movie is basically broken up into three parts: Elle
trying to get into Harvard Law, Elle not fitting in and soon
gaining acceptance and finally, Elle being hired by her law
professor to intern at his firm and help solve a murder
case. The film goes at a really nice pace and you'll be
surprised how fast the time really flies by. Everything here
is even and feels nice as we do get everything we can out of
the story. This in part of director Robert Luketic's great
directing, as he makes the film work with some nice visuals
and links together key scenes perfectly. It's because of him
that the film goes at a good pace, and he really does a
fantastic job here. The editing in this film is also well
done so we get all the visual jokes and get nice shots of
what is going on.
A lot of people are going to think "Legally Blonde" is a
stupid, dull teen comedy when they couldn't be farther from
the truth. The film is really a falt-out funny, sharp and
smart satire. While the movie features it's fair share of
hilarious one-liners and slapstick comedy, it also pokes fun
about bubbly blondes and makes points about appearances
being deceptive, college admissions, personalities and
intelligence. All of this is done with much effectiveness
and works quite well with the movie. None of it seems forced
and all of it is natural. While the story itself is very
predictable and you always know what is going to happen, the
dialogue is often witty and you actually think characters
would say this. Characters and plots are developed really
well. The film is actually based on a book that I believe
hasn't been released yet. Either way, it's a very solid
script that is funny, and I mentioned earlier in this
review, even. Critics have been calling this the new
"Clueless", but I think there are a lot of differences that
set both apart.
The acting in the movie is fantastic as the film features
great casting. I found everyone to bring a lot more to the
roles then the characters suggested, giving more to the
dimensions. Basically, every actor makes his or her
character believable. Reese Whiterspoon fits the bill
perfectly as Elle, bring the wit, charm and enthusiasm to
the role. This is her movie, and she runs with it all the
way to the finish line with much passion. Selma Blair is her
usual self as Elle's rival and Warner's new fiancee while
Luke Wilson brings his fine acting skills and likable image
to Emmet Richmond, the guy who takes Elle under his wing.
Those who play Elle's Harvard Law peers also do a fine job
with their own brand of quirkiness. Overall, there is strong
ensemble acting.
While "Legally Blonde" may seem like a movie that will be
known for its breezy, light pop songs in the music
department, I was really surprised how strong the score from
composer Rolfe Kent sounded. While I'm more then certain
this movie will be ignored for any sort of Oscar®
consideration, the score should not. The score goes side by
side with the film and works ingeniously. Kent really
creates an amazing score that sounds great as he hits the
right notes with what's going on screen. He knows when to be
serious and creates strong melodies there, but he also
composes lighthearted and catchy stuff for the more fun and
comedic moments. I know this movie may not seem like a score
type of the movie, but believe it or not, it actually is and
is one of the finer scores I've had the pleasure of
listening to in a very long time. You always find gold in
the places you least expect to.
"Legally Blonde" is a movie that is really enjoyable and
one of the sharpest comedies I've seen in a long time.
Complete with a solid story, great comedic acting, a load of
funny moments and fine direction, "Legally Blonde" is a
movie that should appeal to all ages and genders despite
what the advertising may suggest. As long as you go in not
taking it seriously, you'll have a great time with a really
entertaining film.
I suppose since this movie was so popular during the
summer of 2001, MGM has gone out to please both camps. A
more mainstream audience for the pan and scan version that
fills standard televisions, and the cinema buff's anamorphic
widescreen (in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1). Each transfer is
quite good. Color saturation is quite nice and doesn't go
overboard, while detail and black levels are really solid
giving the movie a very nice and bright blazing look. I
noticed some slight noise in some scenes which isn't too
bad. Some pieces of dirt and blemishes are on the print, but
they're very few and are never distracting. The biggest
problem I noticed were artifacts, which can be a bit
annoying and plentiful. Still, this is a very nice transfer
from MGM. All viewers will be pleased no matter which aspect
ratio is chosen.
"Legally Blonde" also features a surprisingly strong 5.1
Dolby Digital mix in English. Dialogue is crisp and clear
and nothing overpowers it, as sounds in the movie tend to
have a fine balance. Surrounds are rather plentiful and
active. It won't blow your speakers out, but when there is
substantial speaker use, you'll hear it and enjoy it.
Fidelity and dynamic range are pretty good, while .1 LFE can
be rather strong. Joffe's very nice score (which I keep
mentioning I enjoyed) sounds great and sucks you in. The
music is very well-mixed with a great sound stage. French
and Spanish stereo surround tracks are included, plus
English subtitles, French subtitles, Spanish subtitles and
English closed captions.
It only makes sense for MGM to make a special edition for
their big summer hit, and it sure does deserve it. This disc
is filled with some pretty great features, so let's take a
look. On the first side, with the film, there's the choice
of two commentaries. The first Audio Commentary with
Director Robert Luketic, Producer Mark Platt and Reese
Whiterspoon is quite good. This track isn't very
technical, but they all chat like they're chummy and share a
lot of laughs and a lot of great as well as intriguing
production stories. This is a fun track that perfectly fits
this fun movie. It hooks you in and there's a lot to absorb,
so do check it out.
The Audio Commentary with Director Of Photography
Anthony Richmond, Costume Designer Sophie de Rakoff
Carbonell, Production Designer Melissa Stewart, Screenwriter
Karen McCullah Lutz, Screenwriter Kirsten Smith and Animal
Trainer Sue Chipperton is rather interesting and I guess
is more production-like. There's a ton of information to get
out of this track as you hear many different perspective and
get a feel of the movie coming together from so many
different sides. Each person has their say on key scenes,
and it feels a lot like two commentaries broken up into one.
With the exception of McCullah and Smith, it seems like
everyone else was recorded separate.While you get insight
and learn techniques as well as other thoughts throughout
the movie, I felt if they edited it different, it could have
been better. Put key thoughts for every speaker on every
scene, instead of select ones at times. Still, you get a
good sense of the thoughts, so I guess it's okay. I just
felt that if they edited it different by adding more
speakers to scenes, there could have been info on this
track.
There's also a Trivia Track, a "Pop-Up Video"
sorta thing which seems to becoming popular with DVD
releases. All sorts of random facts appear on screen while
you're watching. While some tend to go off on a tangent at
times, they're fun reads.
On the second side, we have Deleted Scenes with
introductions from Robert Luketic and their cuts. They can
be short, and in rough form, but they're all fun watches and
Luketic's opening comments are pretty great. Some play more
like extended scenes or alternate scenes. And yes, "The
Betting Pool" is here, which was featured in the trailer and
was cut out of the final movie (and the trailer is on the
disc of course). In all, these are nice.
Two featurettes are included. The first, Inside
"Legally Blonde" is a bit promotional, but still a great
watch. Interviews and film clips are included, but there's
some good stuff here that I found very informative and
entertaining. Amanda Brown discusses the inspiration for the
novel that inspired the movie, while there's a focus on
screenwriters Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz. We
learn Marc Platt was a law student, while there's also
interviews and discussion on the film with Luketic, Luke
Wilson, Whiterspoon and others. Most of the cast interviews
are derived from press junkets and on-the-set stuff. Still,
it's fun.
The Hair That Ate Hollywood is the second and
shorter featurette and focuses on... hair. Robert Luketic,
key hairstylist Joy Zapata, hair color director Nancy Braun,
Marc Platt, Whiterspoon and other interviews are here. Film
clips, hair tests and other bits and pieces are on this
featurette. It's different for sure, and if you're
interested in the "blonde-ness" of the movie, do check this
out.
Rounding the disc out is the Hoku "Perfect Day" Music
Video (it's somewhat catchy actually), the Theatrical
Trailer in two channel sound and 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen and The Princess Bride DVD Trailer in full
frame.
"Legally Blonde" is one of the best comedies I've seen in
a long time, and this DVD edition is superb. Boasting nice
transfers to please all watches, a fine 5.1 track and some
worthwhile extras, this is one movie worth checking out if
you haven't seen it, and a must buy for fans of the film.
 (4/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
(4/5)
 (3/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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