I am always amazed at how sequels can betray the visions of their predecessors, even when the first films had little vision
to begin with. Here is what I said about "Legally Blonde" upon its release in 2001: "Some movies do what others have done before and are boring. Others, like this one, manage to seem fresh despite their inherent staleness. It's all in how it's played, the attitude employed, and the amount of self-awareness involved. I suspect the makers of ‘Legally Blonde' have no illusions about the cleverness of their work. Silly little comedies need to be done without pretension, and this one couldn't be less pretentious if it tried." Now we have "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," which flirts dangerously with pretension by introducing an animal-rights plot AND by referencing the great "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" as it sends its protagonist, California airhead-turned-lawyer Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), to D.C. in the hopes of saving her beloved chihuahua's mother from an animal-testing facility.
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