Legally Blonde Ganzer Film
Others were more critical of the film and its script. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as «predictable, cute and surprisingly little real humor,» but «still passes thanks to Witherspoon`s magnetic presence.» [42] Michael O`Sullivan of The Washington Post called the film «Redux clueless, but without the edgy, knowing mind.» [43] Jessica Winter of The Village Voice called the film «a junk food movie that strives to be nutritious.» «This is one of your special offers Racier Be Yourself after school, crossed with Who Moved My Cheese? for the Cosmo girls,» Winter said. Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, saying that the film was «impossible to refuse» and that «Witherspoon effortlessly animated this material with sunshine and a sharp mind.» [37] Todd McCarthy of Variety said Witherspoon gave a «wonderful and winning» performance. «Witherspoon shines stars from every pore, not to mention her hair, and is once again proving to be an actress worthy of comparison to the greats of the golden age like Carole Lombard and Ginger Rogers.» Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune also praised Witherspoon`s performance, saying that his «comic timing is perfect, his personality irresistible. But it`s his wit and immersion in the role that really permeates the whole film and makes it work. He added that Witherspoon «pours so much humor and spice into Elle that she lifts up the whole film.» [39] B. Ruby Rich of The Nation called it «the best adolescent girls` empowerment film to come in ages.» [40] CNN`s Paul Clinton praised the film as «a brazen satire that preserves a message: believe in yourself and follow your dreams.» [41] The film was released on August 13. Released in July 2001, it grossed $141 million worldwide on an $18 million budget and received moderately positive reviews from critics, with Witherspoon`s performance receiving special praise. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture: Musical or Comedy. Witherspoon received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and the 2002 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance. Luketic explained that when the studio gave the green light to the project, he didn`t know the film would be structured as a progressive wellness film to empower women. [12] «Initially, they thought it would be a lot more T-shirts and wet breasts than turned out,» Luketic said.
[12] In fact, the first script of Legally Blonde was edgy and steamy like American Pie. The murder trial was not part of the plot and the film ended with Elle entering into a relationship with a teacher. «He went from non-stop Zingers, who were very mature by nature, to this universal story of overcoming adversity by being yourself,» Smith said. When it was decided to change the plot of the film, McCullah and Smith refined some details and added a few characters like Paulette. [13] Legally Blonde is a 2001 American drama film directed by Robert Luketic. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge. The story follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a sister who tries to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by earning a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, overcoming stereotypes against blondes, and triumphing as a successful lawyer. «In the real world, the Legally Blonde judge would not have allowed the defendant to fire the Alan Dershowitz-style attorney in the middle of the trial and keep the law student, not to mention that no state allows first-year law students to represent clients in court,» Wendel wrote. [48] The film cites Massachusetts Supreme Court Rule 3.03 as a precedent for Woods to represent a client under the supervision of a licensed attorney,[49] but the decision only applies to third-year law students. [46] The writers wrote a new ending that takes place at graduation, which was filmed at Dulwich College in London, England, as Witherspoon filmed The Importance of Being Earnest in that city. Witherspoon also cut his hair for this film and Wilson shaved his head for The Royal Tenenbaums. As both actors had changed their hair for their next films, everyone had to wear wigs for the stage. In May 2020, it was announced that Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor had signed on for a third film.[32] [4] The third film was supposed to be released in mid-2022, but has been postponed to an unknown date. Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Silverstone, Katherine Heigl, Christina Applegate, Milla Jovovich and Jennifer Love Hewitt were all considered for the lead role,[12] but Luketic stated that he «knew on page five of the script that he wanted Reese to play Her». [10] «I wanted someone with gravity and brains,» he said. «It had to be more behind the face, and Reese fit in perfectly.» Witherspoon was the first person to read the script, and it was not sent to other actresses.[12] Casting director Joseph Middleton had also previously worked with Witherspoon in The Man in the Moon and A Far Off Place, so he strongly believed in her for the role when Platt mentioned Witherspoon`s name. Applegate turned down the role and Platt suggested casting Britney Spears, but McCullah convinced him not to cast Britney Spears after her appearance on Saturday Night Live.Despite Luketic`s enthusiasm for Witherspoon as a lead actor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was not convinced.[13] [14] Witherspoon`s performance as Tracy Flick in Election put her in danger of being typed by studio executives. [14] «They thought I was a shrew,» Witherspoon told The Hollywood Reporter. Witherspoon had been sidelined for several other post-election roles. «My manager ended up calling me and saying, `You have to meet with the studio head because he`s not going to approve you. He thinks you`re really your Election character and you`re disgusting. And then I was told to dress sexy. Witherspoon went through several rounds of auditions for the role and even met executives with Southern California accents.[14] «I remember a room full of men asking me if I was mixed and if I was a sorority,» Witherspoon recalls. «Even though I had dropped out of university four years earlier and had never been to the nurses.» [14] Luketic recalls meeting with her to discuss how she would approach the role. «We met at a hotel on Sunset Boulevard and discussed the film. We were both concerned about certain aspects, such as, how can the public feel sorry for a rich girl driving a Porsche; And she had to dress in a very special way that wasn`t distracting or off-putting. And every decision came from a certain innocence [of character].
[10] Contrary to what is shown in the film, Woods would not be able to question a witness on the witness stand during a criminal trial, explained W. Bradley Wendel, a law professor at Cornell Law School, in his book Professional Responsibility: Examples & Explanations. [48] Producer Marc Platt was fascinated by the character of Elle Woods when he was given a manuscript of an unpublished novel. [8] «What I liked about this story is that it`s hilarious, sexy and challenging at the same time,» says Platt. «The world looks at Her and sees someone who is blond and handsome, but no more. She, on the other hand, does not judge herself or anyone else. She thinks the world is great, she`s great, everyone is great, and nothing can change that. She truly is an irrepressible modern heroine. Screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith spent two days on the Stanford campus in the spring of 2000 researching their screenplay, based on Brown`s novel.[8] [9] Director Robert Luketic, an Australian newcomer who came to Hollywood after the success of his first offbeat short film Titsiana Booberini, was drawn to the project in search of a groundbreaking film.«I had been reading scripts for two years and couldn`t find anything to put my own personal imprint until Legally Blonde came along,» Luketic said. Although the film is primarily set at Harvard University, campus scenes were shot at USC,[24] the University of California, Los Angeles,[25] the California Institute of Technology, and Rose City High School in Pasadena, California.[10] [26] Production initially lasted from October to December 2000. [27] [28] Witherspoon wore 40 different hairstyles in the film. [22] «Oh my God, it became known as `The hair that ate Hollywood,`» Luketic said. It was all about hair. I have this obsession with flyaways. It annoyed Reese a bit because I always had hairdressers on my face. But most of the time, the research and testing on set went in the right color, because `blonde` is open to interpretation, I thought. Amanda Brown published Legally Blonde in 2001, based on her real-life experiences as a blonde who attended Stanford Law School while obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers.[12] [6] Luketic said he was «shocked» on the first day of filming. «I go from a ten-minute short film with a team of ten people to a team of 200 people and I have enough trucks and trailers to go around a city block.» [10] «. It was a number completely choreographed by Toni Basil, and it was great,» Witherspoon recalls.
«She did all the dancing. [30] «I remember reading it and thinking it was the most hysterical thing ever,» she added. «It`s still the most frequently requested request from people. Even last year, when I was giving speeches or talking about anything, they always asked me, «Are you going to bend over and crack?» I feel like I`m going to turn the corner and crack until I`m 95. While filming the courthouse scenes, Welch asked cinematographer Anthony B.