“Elle: From the World of Legally Blonde” Introduces the Famous Blonde to ’90s Grunge
Legally Blonde came out in 2001 with a blur of pink positivity. A Malibu party girl who applies to Harvard Law School to chase a man, only to discover that she has a passion for law. Originally a novel by Amanda Brown, the life of Elle Woods has spawned three movies, a criminally underrated Broadway musical, a reality TV show related to said Broadway musical, and now, a prequel series. Elle: From the World of Legally Blonde will premiere all eight episodes on Prime Video on July 1. Just in time for those who want a hot dog real bad.
Long before Harvard, Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) was a high school junior. It’s 1995 and she’s sixteen years old, basically on top of the world. She has a close-knit group of friends and understands her place in Los Angeles. During summer break, her parents (June Diane Raphael & Tom Everett Scott) inform her that the family has to move to Seattle. Elle must now go to school with a bunch of grunge kids who recoil at the sight of a color as bright as Elle Woods’ signature pink.
Courtesy of Prime Video
The first episode of Elle opens like the original movie, with a letter addressed to Elle being walked around a house. With any prequel or legacy sequel rejuvenation, there’s a worry about how many references or throwbacks to the source material will be present and whether they will take the focus away from this new identity. Luckily, Elle pays homage to the Reese Witherspoon-led films without being controlled by this looming shadow.
When Elle was announced, there was a worry the series would retcon her entire judiciary journey and say she became secretly passionate about the law in her teenage years. The fact that Elle doesn’t take that route is one of its greatest strengths. Elle Woods, inherently, is a person concerned with justice. She wants to connect with people, even if they seem to have nothing in common. While Elle may not have initially seen the life of a lawyer as her future, she always wanted to do what was good and right for those around her. She has no patience for bullies and wants her friends to feel supported. Six years later, she just has the letter of the law behind her. As a sixteen-year-old, she has a pink binder, a pink gel pen, and a plan.
Courtesy of Prime Video
Elle: From the World of Legally Blonde is beautifully built for teens. Recently, there’s been a distinct lack of film and television shows for teenagers who are too old for kid cartoons and still a little young for full-on prestige TV. In my own teen years, there were shows like The O.C. and One Tree Hill, a sort of middle ground for young people to find their place in the media landscape. Unlike those aughts shows, Elle isn’t populated by thirty-year-olds playing high schoolers. Sure, Minetree is in her mid-twenties, but her Elle looks like she could be roaming the halls of high school. The same goes for the rest of the cast. They’re mostly in their mid-twenties, but still look young enough that the show doesn’t feel like a high school reunion instead of actual high school.
The endearing heart of the character Witherspoon embodied is alive and well in Minetree. Elle Woods is the best version of who we can be. Someone who may not always get it right, but who tries to make the world a better place. Elle: From the World of Legally Blonde is perky, platinum blonde, and positively passionate.
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