sol- If not as worthless as some claim, this sequel to the charming 'Legally Blonde' is quite a few steps below the original. The plot has Elle going to Washington to propose a bill banning animal testing after her law firm refuses to handle a local case. Tackling an important issue with quite a few stabs at the lack of altruism in money-grubbing politics, the film certainly has its heart in the right place. Reese Witherspoon is also still solid with her never-ending energy and inability to be phased. The script does not give her anywhere near as many self-realisation moments at the first film though and Elle seems even ditzier here -- which goes against her growth by the end of Part One. The dynamic of the first film was that Witherspoon was always intelligent but had just dedicated her life to things associated with airheads; this time though, she just seems silly talking to her dog like a teenager and researching its birth mother. The revelation that her dog is gay also only distracts from the animal abuse theme. The supporting cast are not even especially good this time round. Luke Wilson's role is so underwritten that it is baffling why he was actually rehired and Jennifer Coolidge (who had much of the heart and soul of the first film) only fares slightly better. For all its flaws though, the film is still oddly watchable. The costumes are still imaginative, there are scattered, if inconsistent, funny moments and Witherspoon sells her character once again - but certainly one would expect more with 'Kissing Jessica Stein' director Charles Herman- Wurmfeld at the helm.

Python Hyena Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003): Dir: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld / Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge: The only working element of this comedy is its title. It regards making a difference within a majority. It might had made a difference had the film not been released period. Elle Wood is fired from her job when she tries to locate her dog's mother. It leads to a battle against testing animals to make beauty products. This film is so wretched that it most likely wasn't tested on anything let alone common sense. She puts her marriage on hold and accepts a job in Washington where she battles the animal testing issue as well as discourage co-workers. Formula mess that leads to an embarrassing climax where two gay dogs are wed. Director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld shoots this travesty as if he were asleep. Reese Witherspoon was appealing in the first film but here she is subdued in idiocy losing any charm she obtained before. Sally Field is far too talented to be playing this tyrant beauty marketer. Regina King is totally cardboard, and Luke Wilson as Witherspoon's fiancé is even more useless than he was in the previous film. Jennifer Coolidge seems to be typecast into these roles but she will always be remembered for her American Pie stint. Pointless sequel that should be buried in dog crap and scooped into a trash bag. Score: 1 / 10

lindsay-schafer86 Once you get past the fluff from "Legally Blonde 2," the movie actually offers some insight into the sausage-making machine that is Washington politics.As much as the general population would like to believe Elle's statement--"change the fabric"--the legislative process just can't be changed that easily. Buzz words and phrases like "justice, ""speak up," and "do what's right" only mean something in theory. Congressional bills rarely reflect what should be done, are usually not what most would consider fair, and are rarely the result of voters' efforts (this of course excludes things like popular ballots and referendums on a state level). Instead, lobbying, secret deals, and campaign donations often dictate the outcome, all of which are depicted in the film.Elle, with her naiveté, represents the common belief that someone can accomplish change in Washington with nothing but a naive desire to "do the right thing." She is immediately stifled by a jaded congressional staff who were once like Elle but have since learned that things must be done "the Washington way" before any progress can be made. Once Elle overcomes this obstacle, she is then confronted by a strong lobby against her and heavy purse strings that choke Bruiser's Bill. The resilient Elle somehow beats the odds again, but as if all that weren't enough, she then must face the reality of secret deals and vote-trading, even by the Congress woman who was supposedly on Elle's side. At this point Elle activates a grassroots movement using her sorority's emergency help line, which is reminiscent of Woodstock and the 1960s marches on Washington.In true Hollywood fashion, Elle wins the day and passes her bill banning cosmetics testing on animals. If the movie had really wanted to impart lessons about how Washington politics actually work, a more fitting title would perhaps have been "Basically Brunette," and the ending would result in the bill's sponsor becoming jaded with the whole process (author's note--not only would this not happen in real life, it has not happened; there are currently little to no meaningful regulations regarding animal testing in cosmetics). However, despite the sparkles, viewers can actually learn something about the ingredients that go into the legislative process; just don't expect the movie's result in real life. The pink-and-scented Hollywood touches do give the sausage-making process "a little something extra" in that they make this blinged-out version of Washington politics at least palatable to look at. Normally, no one wants to see how the sausage is made; but "Legally Blonde 2" makes the legislative process more of a bakery than a sausage factory.

jc-osms I had high hopes for this sequel as I found its predecessor refreshingly funny and almost original in Hollywood's seemingly never-ending quest for a genuinely funny chick-flick. This time Reese Wotherspoon's Barbie-Girl Elle Barr (a not so subtle reference to her trainee solicitor occupation) takes on the machinery of Washington over, of all things, an animal cruelty bill. Cue dozens of dogs and their owners descending on the capital to up the cute factor to super-schmaltz level...far more than the rather thin comedy this time can support.The film has far less big, laugh-out-loud moments, in fact, I'm struggling hard to think of one, off hand. Also, as a UK citizen, I found the workings of the US congress to be too confusing to follow and held back the story line. I think the movie was crying out for a big Cruella De Ville type baddie for Elle to contend with when all we get is Sally Field as Elle's congresswoman / employer who does the dirty on her through political chicanery only to capitulate before our pink heroine by the end.Wotherspoon is good to watch as before but brings nothing new to the part either in character development or indeed her wardrobe. Field isn't asked to do much and most of the rest of the cast just get to mug and goof up to the camera, while Bob Newhart, appropriately gets to give us his patented "hangdog" expression in the unlikely part of a well-connected doorman. As usual, the soundtrack offers us snippets of songs for little apparent reason.The wink Wotherspoon gives to the camera at the end as she passes the White House shows that the producers obviously had their eyes on another sequel, but thankfully this has failed to materialise, thus far, at any rate.