Fun romp has some sexual references and salty language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Products & Purchases
a lot
The list of goodies is long and numerous since Elle and her friends go shopping to reward themselves. Cosmopolitan magazine, Clairol, Opi nail polish, Prada, Porsche, Harvard, Malibu Barbie, Apple products (Elle's ibook is very prominent), Taco Bell, Clinique, etc.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Lots of scenes in which college kids engage in casual drinking: keg parties, blender drinks, etc. Elle's dad always has a martini in hand. Elle shares a beer with Paulette.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Sorority girls are shown in their underwear as they get ready for their evenings. Many references to body parts, sex, wet T-shirt contests, and long interludes in the hot tub. Elle's professor makes a pass at her, and a character talks about having to give a lap dance to a professor to pass a class.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
There's more to a person than their outward appearance/behavior. Integrity and intelligence are more important than pleasing others. Doing something just to pursue a guy isn't worth it; you should do it for yourself.
Positive Role Models
some
Elle defies gender stereotypes -- she likes fashion and talks about boyfriends while demonstrating leadership, integrity, and intelligence. She learns to value herself and her intellect while being true to herself. She's also kind to everyone she meets, overcoming differences to form sisterhoods with former rival Vivian and sidekick Paulette.
Diverse Representations
a little
Elle is a strong, intelligent lead who defies gender stereotypes, and the screenplay was written by two women. But the cast is almost entirely White. A couple of LGBTQ+ characters are presented as cliches (hairdresser, flamboyant, catty).
Parents need to know that Legally Blonde is a tongue-in-cheek comedy starring Reese Witherspoon as aspiring lawyer Elle Woods. While the story revolves around Elle finding empowerment in staying true to herself and her values, it does have some sexual references and stereotyping. There are references to lap dances, body parts, wet T-shirt contests, and long interludes in the hot tub. Elle's professor makes a pass at her. Elle's sorority life in California is all about mani-pedis, Prada shoes, and snagging the right guy. She decides to go to Harvard for the wrong reasons -- following a guy -- but she ultimately learns to value her brains, even if she continues to celebrate her successes with a shopping spree. There's college drinking and some profanity ("s--t," "t-ts," "ass," "a--hole," "balls," "bastard," "bitch," etc.). To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
I am fairly free with what I let my daughter watch and recently rewatched this with her and couldn’t believe the amount of direct sexual conversation, much less the innuendo. This should have been a hard pass until she is way older, even though I do love this movie.
Very very very VERY inappropriate. Dont listen to the other rating’s. It is for 17+. Keep in mind your putting your childs sanity on the line! Do not let if they are not 17
What's the Story?
In LEGALLY BLONDE, Southern California sorority girl Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is about to graduate with a major in fashion marketing. Her biggest challenge is what to wear for what she thinks will be a marriage proposal from her beau, Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). But he's decided to break up with her before he leaves for Harvard Law School because she's not "serious" enough to help him in his political career. Elle decides that the only way to get Warner back is to join him at Harvard. So she studies hard, aces the LSATs, and, with the help of a very unique application essay, is admitted. Her new classmates are skeptical and tease her. Worst of all, Warner reveals that he's engaged to Vivian (Selma Blair), a preppy girl who looks like an ad for Town and Country magazine. But Elle surprises them all -- and herself -- by becoming a first-class law student and lawyer while staying true to herself. She ends up defending a murder suspect with whom she has a special rapport and conducting a cross-examination that would impress Perry Mason.
This courtroom comedy might not reach the heights of the sublime My Cousin Vinny, but it comes pretty close. Witherspoon is a treasure in Legally Blonde. She makes Elle completely believable as a charming California girl with spirit and brains. Witherspoon and the art direction (even the credits have i's dotted with hearts) keep things bubbly even when the script falters into predictability.
Luke Wilson as a young lawyer and Holland Taylor as an acerbic professor add some nice moments. Jennifer Coolidge delivers an iconic performance as Elle's nail technician and friend, and it's fun to see Raquel Welch in a cameo as a wealthy divorcée.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Elle didn't have higher aspirations for herself at the beginning of Legally Blonde. What role did her parents play in shaping the way she thought about her future?
Talk about Elle's choice to keep her client's secret, even when it put her defense at risk, and about the mistakes people make when they judge other people based on appearances. How did Elle's ability to hold to her values help her succeed where other, more experienced, lawyers fell short?
What does the way Elle responds to a practical joke show viewers about her?
What kinds of assumptions did people make about Elle based on her appearance? What were they, and how did she prove them wrong? Have there been times when you've been judged on your appearance? How did that make you feel?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
