Legally Blonde II

I saw LB II today with a couple of friends. It was an enjoyable movie--and I do love Reese Witherspoon, but it was mostly fluff to kill a hot summer afternoon.

Elle Woods has a job at a huge Boston law firm and is planning her wedding to Luke Wilson. Elle Wantsto invite everyone to her wedding (at Fenway Park, no less) including her dog Bruiser's long lost mother. Elle hires a pricey PI to track her down. He finds her in a cosmetics research faciliity that her firm represents. When Elle demands the firm force the cosmetics company to stop testing on thedogs, she is fired. Soon sge is inspired to change the law itself and heads off to Washington as a Congressional aide.

Here's where things fall flat. I suppose its largely my own fault for having been involved in politics on the down and dirty level to the point I don't find satirte of it amusing. LB II just didn't sweer politics quite as effectively as the first film ripped into the first year law student experience. Reese's Ms. Amith Goes to Washington" was too idealistic an unbelievable. There more some really good laugh out loud moments, but nothing like the first. Reese was, of course, beautiful as always. No bikini shots here, though. What's up with that?

I liked Bob Newhart's role as a doorman and Washington insider who befriends Elle. He was much more subdued than I would have expeced. It would have been nice if they'd let Bob be Bob. It would have added a how new layerof effective jokes. They did let Sally Fields be Sally Fields, and she played Elle's manipulative, bought and paid for Congresswoman boss with gusto. I'm glad to see her still gettingdecent parts in a town the discards actresses after they hit forty, much less fifty.

If you can accept the instant, idealistic, and unrealistic change Elle has on DC then you'll have a really good time. Reese even almost convinced this old cynical heart. Then again, I think Reese could sell oil to the Arabs, so you are probably asking the wrong guy about that.