The films starts with
Woods planning her marriage to Harvard Law
professor Emmitt Richmond (Luke Wilson),
and searching for the mother of her dog so
she can be included in the pending
wedding. Life is great for Elle as not
only is she about to marry a great guy,
but also is about to be promoted to a fine
position in her firm. That is until the
private investigator (hired to locate
Bruiser's mom) has located her in a
cosmetic-testing lab. When Elle's efforts
on behalf of the dog anger a top client of
the firms (who just happens to be heavily
invested in the cosmetics company), Elle
is soon out of a job when she decides to
put her morals over profit.Elle soon
lands on her feet working for
Representative Rudd (Sally Field) as a
lobbyist. Elle's chipper attitude and
passion for bright colors seems to rub
many in her office as well as some members
of Washington the wrong way, but through
determination and her own special charm,
Elle soon is working on introducing a bill
to eliminate animal testing.
Naturally things do not go as planned,
as the sweet-natured Elle is given a harsh
lesson in politics and backroom deals, and
is forced to settle in for the fight of
her life. Elle is aided in her quest by a
friendly doorman named Sidney (Bob
Newhart), who is very wise in the ways of
D.C. and is happy to help Elle in her
quest. Also on hand is Elle's hairdresser
friend Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge), and
several of her sorority sisters who turn
the city into an avalanche of bright
colors and enthusiasm in their support of
Elle.
Elle soon shows that she is more than a
pretty face and is capable of going up
against whatever and whomever is put
before her in her pursuit for what her
heart tells her is right. There are some
very funny moments in the film and there
are a few nice reminders about how
government is supposed to work without
being heavy-handed about the message.
While light on character and depth,
Witherspoon is utterly charming and makes
this film work through her radiant
personality and energy. Newhart gives a
great supporting performance and the
pacing of the film is very crisp, making
"Legally Blonde 2" not only better than
the original, but an enjoyable summer
farce.
