Initially, the movie Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy and romance film directed by Robert Luketic. However, the film adaptation was scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown’s 2001 novel of the same name.
Furthermore, the film ‘Legally Blonde ' takes place at Harvard University. The movie takes place in 2001, due to the main character Elle Woods graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004. Elle Woods is the protagonist of Amanda Brown’s 2001 novel Legally Blonde and the 2001 film adaption of the same name as well as the sequels. Thus, Legally Blonde stars Reese Witherspoon who plays the main protagonist, Elle Woods. Also, Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond), Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington), Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III), Victor Garber (Professor Callahan), and Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonte) are consistent characters throughout the film.
Notably, Elle Woods is a fashion design major who decides to attend Harvard Law School after her boyfriend Warner Huntington III breaks up with her before starting his law school journey. Nonetheless, Elle Woods stands out to me because despite her knowing nothing about the law and what it takes to be an attorney, her tenacious attitude throughout the film demonstrates how determined she is regardless of the professors and students who doubt her ability to remain determined and grasp the legal jargon of a legal education.
Additionally, Emmett Richmond is an attorney and teaching assistant for Professor Callahan at Harvard Law School. Hence, Emmett Richmond also works at Professor Callahan’s law firm, where Elle is a summer associate after her first year at Harvard Law School. Therefore, with Emmett working in Callahan’s law firm, he is aware of Callahan’s cunning tactics. Whereas, with Emmett being Callahan’s teaching assistant, he gets to interact and meet all the law students in Callahan’s classes. Ultimately, it is in Callahan’s class where he notices the bubbly and driven first year law student, Elle Woods.
Moreover, Vivian Kensington is a preppy and fellow law student at Harvard Law School. She is also Warner Huntington III new fiancé. Eventually, she and Warner do call off their engagement. Vivian is snobbish, cold, and competitive. Thus, she prides herself on her intelligence and academic achievements. Consequently, she is determined to secure a prestigious internship at Professor Callahan’s law firm. But she is also very supportive of her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III and is initially aligned with him. But as the film progresses Vivian's true personality emerges. She is more complex and vulnerable than imagined. Hence, she becomes one of Elle’s allies as the film progresses.
In addition, Warner Huntington III is Elle Wood’s ex-boyfriend and one of the movie’s primary antagonists. He plays a significant role in the personal and professional journey of the main character, Elle Woods. Initially, Warner is viewed as a charismatic and confident individual with a charming exterior. On the contrary, beneath his polished façade, warner exhibits personality traits that exhibit his privileged upbringing and societal expectations. Notably, Warner believes that he should be entitled to receive the best of everything. He’s a self-adsorbed character focusing more on his outward appearance instead of inward. Overall, he seems to be very superficial and does not care about other people’s feelings.
Meanwhile, Professor Callahan is intelligent and charismatic. He possesses confidence and an authoritative demeanor, which demands respect from his students. Professor Callahan has deep knowledge and a deep passion for law. But Professor Aaron Callahan reveals a darker side during the movie. Thus, Professor Callahan exhibits manipulative and predatory behavior. This is seen as he makes inappropriate advances towards Elle Woods, who is an intern at his law firm.
Finally, Paulette Bonafonte is Elle’s manicurist and confidante. Conversely, Paulette is a bit shy at first. But she soon exudes a silly and outgoing personality. She is like Elle and her dog Bruiser, she has a dog named Rufus. Paulette wears trendy clothing that is slightly revealing. Despite this, she is willing to lend a helping hand. Overall, I think Identify more with Elle. Because I am an aspiring law student. But I understand how it feels to be doubted by peers and professors. Also, in the beginning of the movie upon her arrival at Harvard, Elle may have felt out of place. Being an individual with a disability, and wanting to be an attorney, I find myself questioning if I am an overachieving student driven by my passion for the law or should I be an underachiever because of how I'm perceived by others.
Legally Blonde follows fashion design major Elle Woods as she embarks on her journey to Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend Warner Huntington III. Although Elle is determined and scores an impressive 179 on her LSAT, Harvard Law is more than she bargained for. She is unprepared for her classes and does not understand the material being discussed. Also, she must deal with Warner’s new fiancé, Vivian Kensington. The turning point comes with Vivian invites Elle to a costume party, but it's not a costume party. When Elle arrives she is unhappy to learn the truth and then storms off. Then, she runs into her ex Warner. They engage in a brief conversation leading Elle to realize that she will never be good enough for him. Thereafter, she makes it her mission to prove him and everyone else wrong about her law school journey.
Hence, compared to Elle, I would have attended Harvard Law School. But I would have done my research prior to arriving at the campus. Elle seemed to be obsessed with getting Warner back in the beginning. Whereas, for me, I would have shown him why I deserved to be at Harvard Law. Being able to attend a prestigious law school is a big deal. However, throughout the movie it seemed as if Elle was in competition with Warner and Vivian. If it were me, I wouldn’t have paid attention to what others thought of me as an individual, I came to Harvard Law School to obtain my Juris Doctorate Degree regardless of others perception of me. I would have focused on my education and not doubted myself because as I mentioned Elle got into Harvard with a 179 LSAT school, that demonstrated how determined she was to accomplish her goals.
Overall, I think the most memorable quote from Legally Blonde for me was when Elle says to Warner “What, like it’s hard’? Of course, getting into one of the top Ivy League Law schools is not easy. However, in that moment I interpreted Elle saying this line as “I can do whatever a man can do”. Thus, I believe that this quote aligns with my development philosophy because it reminds me to never give up on my goals and dreams. Similarly, to Elle I could be sitting at a top law school and making a difference in the legal profession. This quote showed me that you can’t allow others to question your ability whether academically, physically, socially, etc. We are not the same! Whatever I put my mind to I can and will achieve.
Honestly, this movie made me feel inspired, empowered but conflicted. As a young woman interested in going into the legal profession, this movie showed me that I need to be determined. Also, I don’t have to be like everyone else. The legal admissions office is looking for individuals who are not only interested in pursuing their passion for the law, but what makes each applicant unique and why they should be given a chance to pursue a legal education at a prestigious institution such as Harvard Law School. The feelings of conflict stemmed from watching how Elle was treated by her family, peers, and educators. I am hoping that my professors do not question my intentions oof wanting to pursue a legal education but provide me with the support and tools necessary to be successful in my journey and beyond. The film definitely made me question, how much does it cost to attend law school? I wondered how Elle paid for her expenses throughout her entire legal journey. Also, I questioned how does a law student get internships? Is it through their professors like Elle’s internship was or is there a process? There are a variety of questions I had even after watching so I may consider rewatching the movie to determine answers or reach out to someone who has expertise in the legal profession.
Overall, I would say that the soundtrack for the 2002 movie ‘Legally Blonde’ is very relevant. One of my favorite songs from the film is Hoku-Perfect Day. I feel like I would consider it to be a victory song. It would be the song that is played after achieving a milestone. Similar to, how it was played at the end of Legally Blonde as Elle Woods finishes her speech and receives her Juris Doctorate Degree from Harvard University School of Law in 2004. It was a moment of great joy and satisfaction as she accomplished a goal after being doubled by several peers and professors during her law school journey.