Let’s take a little trip down memory lane to 2001 when "Legally Blonde" came out. Reece Witherspoon who was undoubtedly every woman, and man’s, crush plays Elle (comma) Woods. After being dumped for not being marriage material Elle decides to take matters into her own hands and prove to the guy she loves that she is good enough for him. You go girl we’re all rooting for you.
Legally Blonde proves that you can do anything you put your mind to. Elle got dumped by her boyfriend Warner, because he was just “dicking around” and it was time for him to “get serious." Umm ouch? Warner basically tells Elle that he was only dating her because she was hot and he was never planning on taking her seriously. That has to hurt more than we know. Imagine finding out the person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with had secretly thought you were a joke the whole time. I don’t know about you but I’d probably have some pretty serious trust issues after that.
But after the break up Elle doesn’t think of herself any less. It would have been easy for her to accept what Warner had said as the truth and thought of herself as joke who would never accomplish anything, but she does the opposite and proves him wrong. Elle was grounded in her self-worth and that is an attribute that we don’t stress the importance of enough. She believed in herself enough to know that she wasn’t just a dumb blonde with “too big of boobs.”
Perhaps one of the greatest things about this movie is Elle’s determination. She is a bombshell blonde who refused to be stereotyped. When Elle goes to her guidance counselor to inform her she wants to attend Harvard, the guidance counselor doesn’t tell her she can’t. She doesn’t look at her and write her off as a trophy wife, instead she accepts that this is what Elle wants to do and tells her the steps she needs to take to get there. Even Elle’s own parents don’t take her seriously when she says she wants to go to Harvard.
Elle’s mom says Elle is too pretty to waste at Harvard, and her dad says Harvard is too boring for Elle. Instead of being excited by Elle’s ambition they provide her with excuses for not achieving her dreams, but Elle is determined regardless of her parent’s lack of faith. Getting into Harvard Law is hard, but persevering to get in without the support from anyone who cares about you takes determination and courage. Elle takes her determination and sets out to prove everyone wrong, and she does, many times.
Her first encounter with Warner at Harvard is a blow. She finds out he’s engaged. Again, we have to look at the emotional side of this movie. Elle is working hard to get the man she loves, and is trying to prove her worth to him, and he doesn’t even care. He’s moved on over the summer, it doesn’t matter who you are, seeing the person you love engaged to someone else is a blow. Elle had every right to call it quits right then and there, but she doesn’t. Instead of being defeated she works even harder, you’ve got to give this girl some props for her dedication. She and Warner talk again and Elle finally starts to see that Warner is never going to take her seriously.
Elle kicks it up another notch and completely immerses herself in her studies. Her hard work pays off and she gets one of the coveted internship positions. She has not only proven to everyone that she can get into Harvard Law, but also that she is thriving.
Up to this point everything about this movie has been great, the humor, the life lessons, etc. But I believe it is the ending of this movie that seals its position as one of my favorite movies. Elle gets sexually harassed by one of her professors, and again Elle is shown that people don’t’ see her for her. Elle finds out that the professor who gave her this internship only gave it to her because of her looks, not because of her hard work. I’m sure she was having flash backs to Warner who was only dating her for her looks; not a happy memory. At this point if I was Elle I’d be done trying to prove myself to everyone, and Elle does give up. Having her own professor not believe in her was the final blow to send Elle packing for home. Once again Legally Blonde dishes out some serious girl power. Professor Stromwell comes to the rescue with some words of wisdom.
Finally Elle has someone who believes in her and she takes it in stride for her biggest comeback yet. She takes the professor who hit on her's job and wins the court case, freeing an innocent woman. And the best part is Elle wins the case because she has knowledge of “girly” things such as hair maintenance. Being a female was part of Elle’s success instead of being a hindrance. The movie is wrapping up, Elle was a success, and everyone is happy, but what about Elle and Warner? Warner finally sees what an amazing girl Elle is and wants to get back together. Finally Elle has everything she had worked so hard for, but she’s too smart to fall for Warner, and walks away from him for good. Mega points to Elle for knowing her true worth. Elle and Warner’s ex-fiancé become best friends, proving that girls are not defined by men and that there does not always have to be a competition, proof of why this is perhaps one of the greatest endings to a movie I’ve ever seen.
