Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Legally Blonde Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson March 3, 2019

Legally Blonde (2001) is being released as part of Shout Select's Legally Blonde Collection.

Somewhere in the development phase of Legally Blonde, the screenwriting duo of Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith (10 Things I Hate About You) had cooked up a raunchy, girl-powered romantic comedy that would follow recent male-heavy genre offerings such as American Pie (1999) and Road Trip (2000). Indeed the producers had even cast Stifler's mom, Jennifer Coolidge, to portray a manicurist in a pretty important supporting role. But in translating Amanda Brown's eponymous novel to the silver screen, the filmmakers toned down the content to a more commercial-friendly PG-13 with cleaner and more likeable characters. "When we got the script I said OK, here’s the situation. This character is essentially unlikable.’’ star Reese Witherspoon told the AP in 2001. “She has lots of money. She's got all these designer clothes. She has all these friends, she's popular. Why are we going to love this girl?" Legally Blonde was Reese's first solo staring role in a mainstream film and she undoubtedly had very strong creative input into how she wanted audiences to view each facet of her protagonist, Elle Woods. It's a role that reminds me of Tracy Flick, the perky student she portrayed in Election (1999). But here she blossoms into a more three-dimensional, fully realized character. Unfortunately, the shooting script and finished film hamper her and the rest of the cast, offering no big surprises and taking few chances.

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all going for her. She's president of the Delta Nu sorority and has a 4.0 at one of the major California universities that she attends. She's looking forward to a successful and prosperous future with her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). Warner is the handsome stud with perfectly parted hair whose Ivy League bound. He takes Elle to an elegant restaurant where she hopes he will pop the question. Instead, he sends a sieve inside her by telling her he's breaking up their relationship. His explanation is that his parents don't think a blonde like Elle will make a good wife to a politician. "If I'm going to be a senator, I need a Jackie, not a Marilyn." Elle is crushed and decides to swallow her pride by letting Warner drive her home. Her sorority friends are likewise devastated when they receive the news. But Elle devises a plan that she surmises will help win Warner back. What if she could transform herself from a fashion merchandising major into a prospective law student? She takes the LSAT and to everyone's surprise except perhaps her own, gets a score of 179. She even gets a filmmaker to produce a video biography about all her achievements. (McCullah and Smith's line, "it's directed by a Coppola," is probably a cheeky reference to Francis's daughter Sofia and her critical success with The Virgin Suicides). Harvard Law School's J.D. Admissions staff is stunned by the video and Elle's application but they're left with the fact that she has all the necessary credentials so they admit her. Warner is equally stunned to see his old flame but his fiancée, Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), is not at all impressed by her. To Vivian and her friends, Elle is the valley girl outsider with the hot pink outfits that doesn't belong with the buttoned-up girls from the east coast. Has Elle made a big mistake coming to Harvard?

Mom and dad, I want to go to law school!

It's an all-around impressive performance by Witherspoon and she doesn't look a bit awkward in any of the fifty-seven wardrobes she claimed to have worn. A subplot that's not in the book is her relationship with the friendly young lawyer, Emmett (Luke Wilson). What doesn't work is the one-dimensional Warner, who is full of himself and dismissive to all the efforts she puts into fitting in with his elitist life. I also was annoyed by the monotony of the girlie laughs and high-pitched screams by the sorority women. The screenplay goes to preposterous lengths to posit Elle, the first-year law student, getting on the defense counsel whose acting on behalf of a disgruntled wife accused of shooting her husband. Witherspooon does everything she can to overcome the script's liabilities and is definitely the only reason to watch Legally Blonde.

Legally Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout presents Legally Blonde in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Shout commissioned a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and the results are very pleasing. Director Robert Luketic stated in a recycled commentary track that he sought a Pop Art aesthetic. Film critic Malcolm Johnson of the Hartford Courant observed two contrasting looks between the California and Harvard scenes in a release print he saw: "From the candy-colored gloss of La La Land, the photography by Anthony B. Richmond and the production designs of Melissa Stewart take on more puritanical tones [on the Harvard campus as well as in the interiors]." Phillip McCarthy of The Sydney Morning Herald documented some of the budgetary constraints that forced the crew to substitute locales: "The biggest problem [Luketic] had with Legally Blonde was that the low budget [$18 million] meant the shooting schedule was tight and didn't allow for extra takes or authentic locations. A lot of the film was set at Harvard but had to be shot in Los Angeles. The crew stuck ivy leaves on locations to create the effect."

The transfer looks very clean and pretty smooth in motion. Hot pink, red, dark blue, and sparkling turquoise are the primary color schemes. There are only occasional very small white specks. You'll notice the background focus is blurry on the frat boys in Screenshot #4 but not blurry during any panning shots. Legally Blonde sports an average video bitrate of 34000 kbps and a total bitrate of 41.49 Mbps for the full disc.

The 96-minute features is accompanied by twelve scene selections.

Legally Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (3113 kbps, 24-bit) and a downsampled DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1610 kbps, 24-bit). The lossless 5.1 mix isn't overly aggressive but it get the job done. It's similar to the MGM track, although that's even more robust at 4053 kbps. The pop songs, particularly "A Thousand Miles," shows good range and is well-mixed along the fronts. Composer Rolfe Kent wrote a sweet and whimsical score that's nicely reproduced on the surrounds.

There are optional English SHD for the main feature. Do note, though, that there's some Spanish dialogue that comes with compulsory English subs (see #20).

Legally Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout has rehashed all the bonus features previously available on MGM DVDs/BDs except for a trivia track. The studio recently recorded a new interview with Jessica Cauffiel. All extras are in English and not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Robert Luketic, Actor Reese Witherspoon, and Producer Marc Platt

• Audio Commentary with Costume Designer Sophie de Rakoff Carbonell, Production Designer Melissa Stewart, Director of Photography Anthony B. Richmond, Screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and Animal Trainer Sue Chipperton

• NEW Interview with Actor Jessica Cauffiel (13:31, 1080p)

• Deleted Scenes (9:45, 480i)

• Inside Legally Blonde (21:37, 480i)

• The Hair That Ate Hollywood (9:00, 480i)

• Perfect Day Hoku Music Video (3:26, 480i)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:23, 1080p)

Legally Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

McCullah and Smith's script for Legally Blonde isn't as smart and sophisticated as it wants to be. I consider Amy Herckerling's Clueless a smarter rom com that deals with similar themes. The effervescent Witherspoon maxes every ounce of energy out of Elle Woods and is the show's primary attraction. Legally Blonde is to Reese's career what Private Benjamin is to Goldie Hawn's. Shout Select's 4K transfer boasts some modest improvements over the MGM from over eight years ago. RECOMMENDED to Reese's fans.