The Lady from Legally Blonde

Before appearing as Elle`s critical but encouraging law professor, Holland Taylor appeared in a number of projects, from NBC`s «Saved By the Bell: The College Years» to Fox`s «Ally McBeal.» Stone said Woods did not have the authority to act as a lawyer when she represented Paulette Bonafonté for custody of her ex-husband`s dog, calling her behavior a «major ethical violation.» «She didn`t get a law degree, she never passed the bar, and she has absolutely no right to call herself a lawyer,» Stone noted. «This is called the unlawful exercise of the law. If someone finds out that she has committed this. While at Harvard Law School, she would likely be barred from being admitted to the bar in virtually every state in the United States. [45] Illegal exercise of law in Massachusetts is punishable by a fine of $100 or imprisonment for up to six months. The film originally ended at the courthouse, just after Woods won the case, with Elle on the steps of the courthouse sharing a kiss of victory with Emmett, then cutting a year into the future to see her with a now-blonde Vivian form their own blonde legal defense club at law school.[47] After the test audience revealed that they didn`t like the ending, McCullah Lutz and Smith consulted Luketic, Platt and other members of the production team while they were still in the lobby of the theater, and they agreed that a new conclusion was needed. «It was just a weak ending,» said screenwriter McCullah Lutz. «The kiss didn`t feel right to me because it`s not a romantic comedy – it wasn`t about their relationship. So the test viewers said, «We want to see what happens – we want her to succeed.

That`s why we rewrote for graduation. Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel claim that the original ending also included Elle and Vivian drinking margaritas in Hawaii, implying that they were either best friends now or in love, although Smith and McCullah never wrote such an ending.[31] Other suggested endings for the film included a musical number in which She, the judge, the jury and everyone in the courthouse sang and danced. Although the film is primarily set at Harvard University, campus scenes were filmed at USC,[24] the University of California, Los Angeles,[25] the California Institute of Technology, and Rose City High School in Pasadena, California.[13] [26] Production initially lasted from October to December 2000. [27] [28] The Legally Blonde soundtrack includes music by Vanessa Carlton, Samantha Mumba, Superchick and Hoku singing the opening song «Perfect Day». [56] 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. Selma Blair played the initial antagonist: a wealthy and snobbish law student named Vivian Kensington.[12] But what we don`t immediately see is that she has a gentle side waiting to go out and befriend Her. 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. 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. Ali Larter plays fitness mogul Brooke Taylor-Windham, a woman blamed for the murder of her husband, who relies on Elle to get her out of prison. Despite her eventful arrival at Harvard, the lively blonde Elle Woods quickly proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Not only does she succeed academically, befriending her nemesis and acting as a supportive friend to her new nail salon friend, but she does everything while wearing Hot Pink. 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].

Not much is known about her life before the film, except that she had a longtime boyfriend named Dewey who threw her for another woman after 7 years.[10] He kept his caravan and his «precious baby Rufus», a dog. During Legally Blonde, she finds the courage to get Rufus back from her ex. On Rotten Tomatoes, Legally Blonde has a 70% approval rating, based on reviews from 147 critics, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site`s consensus is as follows: «While the images are predictable and stereotypical, Reese Witherspoon`s funny and nuanced portrayal makes this film better than it otherwise would have been.» [34] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating «mixed or average reviews». [35] Viewers surveyed by CinemaScore rated the film A to F on the A-to-F scale.[36].» 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. [30] While filming the courthouse scenes, Welch asked cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond for special flashes for her scenes as Mrs. Windham Vandermark, as she was obsessed with light and dressed to look better.

[13] The outline of Legally Blonde emerged from Brown`s experiences as a blonde who went to Stanford Law School while obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers.