Legally Blonde 2 film review

certificate_PG

LEGALLY BLONDE 2

When that irrepressibly upbeat vision in pink, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), first burst on the scene in 2001's Legally Blonde, she and the film wore down any initial resistance with their sheer exuberance and force of will. Second time around though the goodwill and affection engendered by the original soon wears thin.

The notion to do a sequel - an inevitability given the first film's success - was in place before a screenplay had been written. Unfortunately here it appears filming also began (and finished) before a decent script was completed, with the result that a more fitting title would be Legally Bland.

The quixotic Woods' wide-eyed innocence and beaming smile offers a light-hearted antidote to the pervasive cynicism that abounds. But inevitably with anything this sweet, ingesting too much can make you sick. Particularly when washed down with a liberal dose of lofty moralizing.

Red, White & Blonde sees Woods take her privileged ideals and designer wardrobe from the hallowed halls of Harvard to the even more conservative confines of Capitol Hill. It's there she endeavours to introduce a bill outlawing the testing of cosmetics on animals. Her motives aren't wholly altruistic, prompted as they are by her desire to release the mother of her beloved pet Chihuahua Bruiser from a test laboratory.

Initially helping her in her cause are Republican congresswoman Victoria Rudd (Sally Field) and her staff, excluding the unwelcoming Grace (Regina King) who sees Woods firstly as a frothy nuisance and then a viable threat to her own political aspirations. An unlikely ally is found in the form of the genial doorman Sid Post (Bob Newhart).

A loosely woven romantic thread involves Woods' impending nuptials to the ever-supportive Emmett (a squandered Luke Wilson). Also providing backup is the flamboyant Paulette (the amusing Jennifer Coolidge), who makes Woods seem like a conservatively dressed Einstein by comparison. Director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld's obvious desire to please is evident throughout. Throwing in numerous rousing speeches, impromptu dance sequences and a silly segment on gay dogs only succeeds in highlighting how much filler is required to pad out the flimsy plot.