Legally Blonde

"I’m Elle Woods and this is Bruiser Woods, and we’re both Gemini vegetarians." The underdog story is a frequent trope in storytelling that, at its earliest, dates back to so-called biblical times. David and Goliath is perhaps the earliest example of the concept of the underdog story - a character with the odds against them (David) faces an uphill challenge (in this case, Goliath) and surprises the world by overcoming the odds or otherwise proving themselves (in David’s case, this would be killing Goliath). The underdog story persists to this day both in real life - the Miracle on the Ice and the American Dream come to mind - but there is also the subsection of what is called “the Fool”. Simply put, “the Fool” is a leading character who is disregarded by those around them for one reason or another, only to shock said nonbelievers by proving themselves capable and overcoming the odds. In this case, Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp is often regarded as a “Fool” character; however, I do not think that this is the best example of the character type. Instead, I will say that the character that fits the “Fool” archetype the best is Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods. After finally being told by my partner that their favorite movie is Legally Blonde we decided to give it a watch on Tubi as I had never seen it before. And boy, did I miss out on a classic. Elle Woods fits the archetype of the underdog to a tee - a woman in the new world of law school who, ostracized because of her background in fashion and the stereotype of the dumb blonde, changes the game by preventing a woman from going to prison using just that knowledge. She takes no nonsense from the people around her - her pervy law professor, her rich ex-boyfriend - and she does what is right. All while absolutely slaying in her fashion choices. I sort of miss the late 1990s-early 2000s film vibe. The pop punk intro as we jump straight into the film’s intro, the exposition in the ending of “where are they now”, and the general set design of places like Elle’s Harvard bedroom or Paulette’s salon. Speaking of Paulette, I find that Jennifer Coolidge continues to establish herself as one of my favorite actresses today. She’s great in every role I see her in, big or small. Somehow in the inverse, however, we get Luke Wilson; he seems to suck the air out of every scene he’s in, and he falls to this in Idiocracy as well. And at that point, there is an issue - I don’t think he’s made me laugh once yet. I mean, all he does to try to keep Elle from quitting is to say “stay?” Good grief. At least it’s not enough to knock the film’s score down. I think Legally Blonde sets itself up as a solid contender for the best underdog story. It’s certainly a girlboss film, and Elle Woods remains a great role model for whoever may come across her and see her work her ass off to show everyone. An absolute must-watch.