A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
some
No cosmetic is worth using if it was manufactured through the use of animal testing and cruelty. It's possible to be an airhead concerned with the latest handbags and shoes and brilliant at the same time. "Why should someone else do for you what you could do for yourself?" "Never underestimate a girl with a French manicure and a Harvard law degree." Politics is a dirty business. One person can make a difference in the world.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Elle is a self-sufficient, materialistic, overprivileged, loyal, animal-loving kewpie doll of a lawyer with a sunny and kind disposition and a go-getter work ethic. For comic effect, her character has been constructed to miss the most obvious sentiments of those around her, including their response to her odd personality. At the same time, in seeming contradiction, she is also supposedly capable of great strategic thinking, innovation, and eloquence. Her fiancé, Emmett, is supportive and encouraging. Her friends and sorority sisters will drop everything to help her in times of need. A congressional aide sets Elle up for humiliation. Elle rewards someone's selfishness with kindness and makes an ally. A conservative congressman lovingly accepts that his dog is gay. Elle's boss betrays her.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
There's innuendo but no sex. Elle dresses in form-fitting outfits and shakes her hips as she toddles in stiletto heels but seems otherwise asexual, even when pecking her fiancé. They kiss after their wedding. Cheerleaders perform tame routines as congressmen ogle them. There's a reference to an orphaned dog "turning tricks on Hollywood Boulevard." One office mate accuses another of getting her way by having her "head in the lap" of someone powerful. Elle cites the "tongue or no tongue" controversy that arose while setting up a kissing booth in high school. References are made to two male dogs having sex. A magazine cover layout shouts, "Cleavage for a cause," but no cleavage is seen.
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Language
a little
"Kickass," "ass," "crap," "damn," "hell." Reference made to a dog "turning tricks" on a Hollywood street corner to survive -- paired with the image of a dog standing behind a street corner card game. Oral sex insinuation. A cover of Maxim magazine, covering the lead character's crusade to stop lab testing on dogs, has the headline, "Doing it doggie style."
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Products & Purchases
some
Elle is a dedicated consumer of designer clothes, cosmetics, and hair care products. Elle has taught her dog to shop online. She makes constant references to expensive designer fashion products, including Charles Jourdan and Gucci. Elle shows off her expertise on skin care products and hair treatments and coloring. Au Bon Pain coffee is prominently featured in one scene.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Wine drinking in a social gathering. Pipe smoking.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde is a 2003 sequel in which a blonde sorority girl who found a way to succeed while attending Harvard Law School now must find a way to make it on Capitol Hill. This movie has some sexual references, including a plot development involving gay dogs. While the movie is a comedy and ostensibly celebrates being true to who you are, there's also an element of both mockery of the "ditzy blonde" stereotype as well as the unnecessary social message, "Attractive and materialistic sorority rich white girls with blonde hair who grew up in Bel Air are people too!" Also, it could be interesting for some families to see how far our society has come in how hom*osexuality is regarded now compared to 2003, when it was still a punchline to have politicians and the media make a big deal about how two dogs are gay. Furthermore, the issue of animal testing in labs for cosmetics companies could have been addressed with a little more depth without sacrificing the overall comedy feel of the movie. Profanity includes "kickass," "ass," "crap," "damn," and "hell." Reference made to a dog "turning tricks" on a Hollywood street corner to survive -- paired with the image of a dog standing behind a street corner card game. Oral sex insinuation. A cover of Maxim magazine, covering the lead character's crusade to stop lab testing on dogs, has the headline, "Doing it doggie style." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
Elle (Reese Witherspoon) hires a detective to find the biological mother of her dog, Bruiser, so she can invite Bruiser's family to her wedding. She finds out that his mother is in a lab for testing cosmetics on animals. When she urges her law firm to oppose the use of animal-testing in cosmetics (the movie is careful to stay away from the issue of animal testing for medication), she is fired. So, Elle heads to Washington determined to get legislation passed ("Bruiser's Law"), freeing Bruiser's mother and all of the other lab animals.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes Elle change her mind about her final speech and how a bill becomes a law (the movie has the details right on the hopper and the discharge petition).
Why are movie sequels almost always worse than the original movie? Why do movie studios make sequels anyway?
What are the ways in which the movie addresses issues like materialism, animal testing, hom*osexuality, stereotyping, and the political process?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 2, 2003
- On DVD or streaming: November 4, 2003
- Cast: Bob Newhart, Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field
- Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: MGM/UA
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 95 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: some sex-related humor
- Last updated: January 19, 2024
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