Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde

from Film Forum, 07/10/03

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), the not-so-bright blonde bombshell of the hit 2001 comedy Legally Blonde is back in a sequel subtitled Red White and Blonde. This time, she endeavors to persuade Congress to pass a bill opposing the practice of animal testing. But Washington, D.C. proves to be a challenge for our heroine, and she comes to depend upon a hotel doorman (Bob Newhart) for guidance through the political system.

For all of Elle's spunky charm, religious press critics are not overly fond of the film.

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says it's "pretty much the same movie as the original … in a different setting. Reese Witherspoon is spot-on perfect in the role. The rest of the supporting cast are functional, but are given little of note to do. Mainly they serve as conveyers of plot points and twists, most of which we see coming long before they arrive."

Tom Snyder (Movieguide) objects to LB2 because the filmmaker is a homosexual. He also disagrees with the film's sentiment that people should speak up about their opinions and be willing to hear the opinions of others. "Some points of view are clearly stupid or evil, so not all points of view deserve to be heard, least of all followed."

Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says, "I don't think I laughed as hard at this movie as I did the first one, but admittedly it's hard to capture that initial 'novelty' in a sequel."

The verdicts of mainstream critics are a mixed lot. You can scan through them here.

from Film Forum, 07/17/03

Last week, Christian press critics were unenthusiastic about the sequel to the popular Reese Witherspoon comedy Legally Blonde. This week, a few spoke up in defense of Elle, the spunky heroine, while another found her offensive.

Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin (Cinema in Focus) observe "many moral messages imbedded within the comedy of film. As in the first film, rather than surrendering her morals to advance herself in an immoral system, Elle uses creativity, intelligence and goodness to reach the people within the system."

Megan Basham (RazorMouth) disagrees. "Though her character sparkles like the huge pink engagement ring she wears … this time [Elle's] sunshiny optimism and diamond-hard determination hide a decidedly unattractive underbelly. Namely, in her own dimpled way, [Elle] . . . endeavors to let young girls everywhere know that there's nothing wrong with being homosexual."

But on the same site, Mary Cady Exum (RazorMouth) exhorts parents, "Let's give our girls a role model like Elle, however fanciful she may be, to remind them of how wonderful it is to simply be a happy girl, who sees the importance of close friends, a supportive family, and strong mind."