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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Lucy Mangan

Elle review – this Legally Blonde prequel recreates the genius of Reese Witherspoon’s performance

Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods holds a small dog wearing a pink sweater in a scene from
Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods in Elle. Photograph: Jessica Brooks/Prime Video/AP

It’s 25 years since you became a bona fide film star. In the intervening quarter of a century you have stayed a respected actor and become a powerhouse producer. An appetite grows for teen-led dramas that for reasons of nostalgia or muscled ice-hockey players appeal to the generation or two above. You are Reese Witherspoon. What do you do?

Take down the Legally Blonde IP, dust it off and make a small-screen prequel to the box office hit that became a cult classic, of course! You maximise your chances of success by casting a charismatic mini-me (Lexi Minetree) who can capture all the sassiness and sweetness of the original protagonist, Elle Woods, and recreate the genius of your own performance by making her un-self-aware without being imbecilic.

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