Legally Blonde (2001)

It's desperately silly but Witherspoon is perfectly cast, making the sight of her in pink through Harvard halls hilarious, with fine support.

The film is a surprisingly successful sleeper hit and a sorority sister to Clueless. Witherspoon's terrifically bubbly turn holds proceedings together alongside nice supporting work.

A flimsy piece of work compared to Election, but Witherspoon's performance takes it further than the under-developed script. Her determined individual shines through the frivolity.

The glossy top layer and cast keep viewers chuckling, but the screenplay is a basic clunky potboiler that sticks to convention. Pacing could use work but the humour is enjoyable.

The film has Elle pulling off a double act with aplomb, but the film as a whole is less assured; jokes work best in school settings but lose sophistication elsewhere.

The film is completely derivative of Clueless and dopey, with awkward comedic pacing, though it is remarkably mindful of the protagonist's individualism by Hollywood standards.

The feather-light fish-out-of-water comedy slavishly follows formula with dispiriting predictability and is never funny or diverting enough, though it offers a novel view of college social hierarchy.

The film squanders its promising high-concept premise and Witherspoon's committed performance as the determined Elle Woods because it cannot figure out where to go after the setup and unravels with haphazard direction and a cockamamie murder-trial subplot. It is amusing in places but ultimately a disappointment that fails to live up to the standard of Clueless.

The film is a featherweight comedy that is impossible to dislike, though its appeal depends on affection for Reese Witherspoon, who carries the movie with sunshine and quick wit as the smart, fashion-obsessed Elle Woods. It is not a great movie and does not compare favorably to Clueless or Election, but Witherspoon is a star and the picture does not overstay its welcome.

Slick, sexy and winsome, it's a lot of fun and a rare feel-good movie that's not entirely frivolous; announces the debut of director Robert Luketic with promise.

The critic praises the film's skilful satire of status symbols and Reese Witherspoon’s winning performance as Elle, noting how it endorses her unique knowledge and tenacity.

The critic calls it a so-so comedy that recycles elements of Clueless and Election to lame effect. Witherspoon gives a bright performance but the material and director Robert Luketic fail to match her energy.

The film is a mild, sugary romantic comedy that is predictable and cutesy with surprisingly little genuine humor, getting by mainly on Reese Witherspoon's magnetic presence.

The film starts with promise as a stylized, candied parody of the Cosmo-girl ethos and the indomitable spirit of a Bel Air princess but quickly subsides into trivial farce with a sitcom-obvious story. It is worth seeing only for Reese Witherspoon's brilliant performance as Elle Woods, a fighting spirit who is not afraid to be silly.

The movie is a fluffy, midlevel commercial comedy that offers occasional spontaneous laughter but is mostly a mishmash of hit-or-miss humor and uplifting moments, with Reese Witherspoon as the sharp, quick-witted star who elevates the material as the perky sorority sister Elle Woods. The character is somewhat incoherent and the film does not always know what to do with her, but Witherspoon makes Elle appealing and ridiculous in equal measure.

The comedy gets a major boost from Reese Witherspoon's dazzling star turn as the effervescent Elle Woods, an L.A. Barbie who sets out to conquer Harvard Law School, proving she can be as smart as anyone. The mildly engaging silliness of the premise is never transformed into something more substantial, and the attempt at a fine-tuned Clueless-like tone is only sputteringly achieved.

The critic calls it an uplifting, self-assertive comedy that reaffirms human qualities and praises its fresh take. Reese Witherspoon is singled out as irresistibly wonderful for bringing heart to Elle's optimism without sentimentality.