Legally Blonde is a 2001 American drama film directed by Robert Luketic. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge. The story follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a sister who tries to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by earning a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, overcoming stereotypes against blondes, and triumphing as a successful lawyer. The outline of Legally Blonde grew out of Brown`s experiences as a blonde who went to Stanford Law School while obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers. In 2000, Brown met producer Marc Platt, who helped her develop her manuscript into a novel. Platt hired screenwriters McCullah Lutz and Smith to adapt the book into a film. The project caught the attention of director Luketic, an Australian newcomer who came to Hollywood after the success of his first offbeat short film Titsiana Booberini. «I had been reading scripts for two years and couldn`t find anything to put my own personal imprint until Legally Blonde came along,» Luketic said. Everyone is present to witness Elle`s first day in court, including Paulette and Kyle (now a couple), Margot, Serena, Pilar, and the other Delta Nus. Brooke`s daughter-in-law, Chutney, testified that when she got out of the shower, she saw Brooke standing on her father`s body covered in blood. When asked what she did earlier in the day, Chutney reveals that she had a perm, and she realizes a flaw in Chutney`s alibi – she wouldn`t have been able to shower the same day she received a perm, otherwise her hair would have flattened.
As her perm is still intact, she obviously lied about her alibi. During intense interrogation of Elle, Chutney accidentally reveals that she killed her father and mistakes him for Brooke. She wins the case and Brooke is released. Warner tries to ask Elle, but she kindly refuses because she has earned her independence and desire to be the best she can be («Find My Way»). She was the daughter of Hayworth Windham and his ex-wife Mrs. Windham Vandermark and the daughter-in-law of his young wife Brooke. Chutney despised his new mother-in-law because she was the same age as her and planned to murder her. However, Chutney accidentally murdered her father, making it look like Brooke had killed him, forcing Brooke to hire Professor Callahan and his students, including Elle Woods, to defend her so she could escape prison. Chutney`s official revelation came when she was questioned on the witness stand by Elle herself. Asked about her actions on the day her father was killed, Chutney said she took a perm, went home, took a shower and then went downstairs to find the bodies of Brooke and her father.
She, who used her knowledge of hair products, discovered that the chutney had lied during the shower, as the water would have ruined her perm as they had to stay dry for 24 hours. Chutney began to fall apart, and when she was accused by Elle of shooting her father, the villain loudly confessed to her crime before shouting that she wanted to kill Brooke instead. Chutney was quickly arrested for the murder of his father, the attempted murder of Brooke, the charges and perjury. Producer Marc Platt was fascinated by the character of Elle Woods when he received a manuscript of an unpublished novel. [8] «What I liked about this story is that it`s hilarious, sexy and challenging at the same time,» says Platt. «The world looks at Her and sees someone who is blond and handsome, but no more. She, on the other hand, does not judge herself or anyone else. She thinks the world is great, she`s great, everyone is great, and nothing can change that. She truly is an irrepressible modern heroine. [8] Witherspoon wore 40 different hairstyles in the film. [22] «Oh my God, it became known as `The hair that ate Hollywood,`» Luketic said. It was all about hair. I have this obsession with flyaways.
It annoyed Reese a bit because I always had hairdressers on my face. But most of the time, the research and testing on set went in the right color, because `blonde` is open to interpretation, I thought. The film originally ended at the courthouse, just after Woods won the case, with Elle on the steps of the courthouse sharing a kiss of victory with Emmett, then cutting a year into the future to let her with a now-blonde Vivian start their own blonde legal defense club at law school.[12] After the test audience revealed that they didn`t like the ending, McCullah Lutz and Smith consulted Luketic, Platt and other members of the production team while they were still in the lobby of the theater, and they agreed that a new conclusion was needed. «It was just a weak ending,» said screenwriter McCullah Lutz. «The kiss didn`t feel right to me because it`s not a romantic comedy – it wasn`t about their relationship. So the test viewers said, «We want to see what happens – we want her to succeed.» That`s why we rewrote for graduation. Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel claim that the original ending also included Elle and Vivian drinking margaritas in Hawaii, implying that they were either best friends now or in love, although Smith and McCullah never wrote such an ending.[31] Other suggested endings for the film included a musical number in which She, the judge, the jury and everyone in the courthouse sang and danced. [13] The trainees quickly jump into the case of fitness video guru Brooke Wyndham, who is accused of killing her wealthy husband. After watching her fitness video («Whipped into Shape»), the trainees meet her in a correctional facility, where, thanks to her Delta Nu sorority, she refuses to pass on her alibi to anyone but Elle. Brooke confidently tells Elle that she received liposuction the day her husband was killed, so there`s no way she could be guilty, but no one can know because her fitness empire would be destroyed. The other interns demand that Elle abandon Brooke`s alibi, but She refuses to violate her promise Delta Nu. It`s been 20 years since Elle Woods graced our screens as a lovable blonde who became a Harvard Law School student in the popular and beloved franchise.
Amanda Brown published Legally Blonde in 2001 and was based on her real-life experiences as a blonde who attended Stanford Law School while she was obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers. Three years later, she was named first in her class and in her keynote address, she proposed to Emmett, who accepted.[6] Everyone celebrates her blonde friend and heroine, Elle Woods («Finale»).