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Legally Blonde 2

In a summer full of silly movie titles, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde is no exception. The silliness extends past the title in this case, but in a way that makes this sequel an entertaining and endearing follow-up, with a positive message.

This time around Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is on the brink of getting a promotion at the law firm, while in the midst of planning her dream wedding to Emmett (Luke Wilson), now a professor at Harvard. She believes the wedding would not be complete without having the mother of Bruiser, her Chihuahua, in attendance. Elle finds out that the dog is being used as a test animal for cosmetics, so she approaches the firm with a plan to get this testing banned. She soon finds herself without a job, packing her bags and heading for Washington DC to fight for the cause.

The trite idea that everyone in government power is corrupt, is again played out with those who seem like friends being actually enemies, while those originally against Elle, embrace her. It's pretty much a given from the beginning that she's going to succeed, but it's still fun to watch her beat the odds. Besides the smart yet ditsy cuteness that Legally Blonde is known for, there was a lot more heartfelt, sincere moments in Legally Blonde 2.

The cast complement each other well. They are not Oscar worthy performances by any means , but Witherspoon still shines as the girl who knows how to have fun while achieving her goals. Sally Field, as a Senator out for her own best interest, is a worthy adversary to our heroine. Bob Newhart has a small role as the doorman and dog walker where Elle is staying. I would have liked to see him used more--their scenes together were sweet and unfortunately short and few. Wilson, in his third romantic comedy appearance of the summer barely shows up for this one. It may have been a better idea to explain him away off screen, rather than find places to cram him in for cheesy cell phone calls. It was good to see him included, but his presence was not mandatory for plot progression.

Goofiness aside, Legally Blonde 2 leaves the audience feeling like one person can make a difference, and sometimes it's not who you would typically expect. I had a good time cheering her on, and wouldn't mind seeing Witherspoon take on the role one more time. It was a nice change from all the action films of late, and my favorite of the summer sequels thus far. This will no doubt earn a spot on my DVD shelf next to the original.

Written by: Laurie Kisner

Reviewers Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 7.50
Reader's Votes: 8

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