As a die-hard super fan of Reese Witherspoon, it comes as no surprise that Legally Blonde is just as integral to my origin story as any other Y2K-loving millennial. If Elle Woods didn't stand up for herself as a fish-out-of-water fashion major amongst Harvard's snooty elite — and prove them damningly wrong — in the 2001 comedy, I fear my life's trajectory would be so vastly different.
From first watch to millionth viewing, I have continued to love the Legally Blonde Universe (referred to as the LBU from now on), so much so that I enjoyed the borderline-average sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde, and fell head over heels for the musical adaptation. In a similar vein to the Mean Girls Universe (MGU) — which has followed a parallel path as a coming-of-age movie and is considered now as a 2000s period piece, there has been an ignored sequel, a treasured musical turned 2024 film remake and an obsession with pink, plaid and plastic surgery — the LBU was ready for a revamp.
So when the announcement came that Amazon MGM Studios was invested in telling Elle's prequel story, I was pretty much convinced that I was going to adore everything about the series. And IMO, the LBU prequel was set for success from the get-go, starting with the flawless casting of newcomer Lexi Minetree as the younger version of the beloved lead.
But after the release of the teaser trailer last month, my higher-than-most-hopes fell a bit flat, with the synopsis somewhat similar to the movie's narrative. Instead of Boston's dull legal atmosphere, we're taken back to 1995 and facing 16-year-old Elle's current dilemma — an untimely move from sunny LA, California, to rainy Seattle, Washington. This follows an unfortunate accident (read: botched nose job) which sees Elle's plastic surgeon dad, Wyatt Woods (Tom Everett Scott), needing to lay low for a while. Along for the ride comes Elle, her fascinating and equally bubbly mother, Eva (June Diane Raphael) and the most important Woods family member — a pint-sized, yet still tough-as-nails pup, Bruiser.
Warning: spoilers ahead
Now, post-watching the entire 8-episode season, I fear my expectations weren't met, in more ways than one. But before I go on, there are some really excellent things this prequel does well, which I know after reading many a review on the series, have been glossed over.
Successfully fuelling 'Legally Blonde' nostalgia
For starters, as noted, Lexi Minetree is the perfect teenage Elle Woods. From her spritely demeanour to her immaculate 90s costuming and delivery of lines that were definitely copy/pasted from the film's script, Minetree breathes a whole new life into the titular character and does it well. Even in times of despair (a.k.a. mean girl nastiness), you can't help but champion for Elle, evoking the same rooting-for-the-hero feelings and nostalgia of the original.
Even the ensemble cast is a force to be reckoned with, despite fitting into LBU character archetypes. My standout being Donna, the school's secretary, played by Amy Pietz, acting as Elle's refuge and recreating an indirect homage to Jennifer Coolidge's Paulette. Donna is quirky, loveable and all-around the best, supportive figure to the students, and it's unfortunate she falls under an injustice as the series treks on. Also, I'll firmly sit on team Madison-deserves-better (played by Jessica Belkin), Elle's LA bestie who offers her sage advice and pushes the story along in times of need, despite a yucky, less-than-an-episode-spanning fallout.
Further, I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed the dynamics and transformations of Elle's parents, who are largely absent in other forms of the LBU. I particularly enjoyed June Diane Raphael's Eva, who does a complete 180 throughout the show and owns up to her part in Elle's ongoing kerfuffle. I also liked the setting of 90s Seattle being flannel shirts, stripes and grunge music, and the period-accurate drabness of it all, unless you were looking at Elle's wardrobe of mostly hot pinks, flowers and sparkles.
But that's where I need to draw the line.
Shaping Elle as the sparkly-pink outsider
For all the positives, come a steady stack of negatives that need addressing, starting with the biggest elephant in the room — Elle being the outsider. As a tried and true fan of the movie, the prequel series contradicts a lot of the film's plot — and in some instances, entirely refilms established sequences in different settings. The only instance where this revisit (or nostalgic nod) truly works is in the first two minutes of the show, where we see a similar recreation of the film's title sequence play out, but instead of delivering the bedazzled pink card to her sorority dorm room, it's left on a table of gifts at Elle's Sweet 16th.
Within the first two episodes, we see a handful of similar scenes from the film. There’s Elle showing up to a 'pool party' in a bikini, a crying moment like the Warner-breakup scene when her parents tell her she's moving, and her telling Bruiser they were in this together. That last one felt fine at first before it clicked in my head that she told him the exact same line before they moved into the Harvard dorms. There's also a lot of talk about her being a Gemini in the series, much like in the film — and as a girl obsessed with her birth chart, I found some fun in it, until it became a weird plot point to make her bond with her mother over past mistakes. (Spoiler alert: she's not a Gemini!).
These are tiny gripes in the grand scheme of things, but it just felt like Elle Woods wasn't this outsider in pink heels who rises above it all, as she's depicted in the movie. Instead, we find ourselves at another instance in Elle's life where she is a fish-out-of-water, and therefore makes us (the audience) feel like the film doesn't hold as much weight as it used to. Elle is supposed to be the heroine that doesn't let the challenge overcome her — and she is — but, it's kinda odd to think that she's had multiple obstacles she's needed to overcome.
Sure, you could go back and quote her Harvard video essay, where she had to choose between 2ply and 3ply toilet paper for Delta Nu, but that was the whole point of the film — going to law school was (and is) supposed to be hard.
What was equally as frustrating was the subplot in the series where Elle and her friends uncover a money-theft scam within the school. The plot itself is addressed throughout the series before the big unveiling in the seventh episode, but it's not really the driver of the show.
Coupled with a not-so-needed line from Donna asking if Elle wants to become a lawyer at the end, it just felt forced to have this big Elle Woods-style deposition, especially since at this point in time, she doesn't want to be a lawyer — she wants to be a 'Cosmo Girl'. Cue another subplot where Elle's trying to win an internship for Cosmopolitan magazine and use it to go back to LA. There's a Breakfast Club-esque episode, too, which was kinda fun and a nice reprieve back into the investigation subplot.
But even then, both of those plot points collide and are ultimately a cause for chaos, as the Seattle friends learn of her desire to go back to LA in her Cosmo essay, after crushing the exposé and helping save the school from further disarray.
Overall, while there was a lot to like about the LBU prequel series, especially Lexi Minetree, it's not what I had expected of the series. After watching the entire first season, I had hoped it would resemble much of the latter episodes, where Elle is totally fearless and is making big fashion-forward decisions in a pink power suit. I would have loved to have seen more of that strong, stylish and straightforward confidence that made Elle, well, Elle Woods in the movie, not-so-much the outsider that she's now styled to be in the series.
Stream the entire first season of Elle on Prime Video on July 1.
