The original Legally Blonde saw the talented Reese Witherspoon captivate with an irresistible performance as the smart and sassy, sterotype-challenging Elle Woods.
We rooted wholeheartedly for Elle to be accepted, but now that she's a promising young lawyer, the audience already knows that success is in the bag. As the same themes that were covered in the first film creep into play in the sequel, it's disappointing that Elle's character never really gets a chance to develop.
Fresh from her victory at Harvard University, Elle is now even blonder, pinker and fluffier than before. Having conquered the system previously, and proved herself to be a top legal eagle, this time around she has more than blonde ambition on her mind.
Story-wise, the stakes are somewhat higher, as she takes the moral issues of animal testing to heart and makes it her personal challenge to prove to Congress that it is, well, bad.
Anyone who sampled Legally Blonde will know what they are letting themselves in for here and, for those who enjoyed it, the sequel offers more of the same, especially in its array of outfits and accessories. Elle has her pet pooch, Bruiser, going to doggie Pilates, makes plans to marry Emmett in a baseball ground, and uses kindness and sincerity as her greatest weapon in the face of adversity. But things really start to get a little too surreal as Elle becomes, as her co-worker points out, "Capitol Barbie".
Considered independently from the first film, Legally Blonde 2 is as entertaining, fun and good-natured as any bit of teen-fluff around. But knowing just how enjoyable the original was, it feels as if the hugely talented Witherspoon dazzles away as best she can with a script that is simply not funny enough. Meanwhile, the supporting cast wander around aimlessly and the dogs get all the good jokes.
