By Jesse Sharp-O’Hare

Never Judge a Blonde by her Hair

Now, I quite like most films. Comedy, pretty good. Action, pretty good. Foreign language, pretty good. Documentaries on WW1 tanks, even that sounds pretty good. However chick flicks as a genre I just cannot get my head around. I’m not sure whether it’s the plot holes, two-dimensional characters or that specific LA valley-girl accent that is just, like, so grating I just totally want to pull my ears off of my, like, head, but I’ve never been a big chick flick fan. I’ve even given them a good go before someone leaps to the defence of Mean Girls (‘but… but… Glenn Coco?! He goes!’) or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Although to be fair I think it’s probably the annoying best friend that irritates me. Also Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barry are silly names). 

But all this changed one New Year’s Day, feeling a little worse for wear and having not left the sofa for a few good hours, I decided not to watch Alien on BBC1 but instead do one of the things Marc suggested and watch a film I never usually would. That film has changed my view on chick flicks forever. Legally Mother****in’ Blonde. 

This is the story of tenacious, smart, but somewhat ditzy, Elle Woods and her quest to win back her man by attending Harvard Law School (and in the end winning her future as a hotshot lawyer with no need for the proposal she craved at the start, although obviously she does get one but from hunky sweetie Luke Wilson). A tale of love lost, law skills learned and stolen dogs reclaimed, Legally Blonde was perfect for what I needed at the time. Easy plot, big characters and snappy one-liners. Plus, there is genuine character development – Elle goes from ambitions of being a housewife at 21 to trying to make partner in the space of half of a term, all while putting her scummy law professor AND old boyfriend in their respective places. 

Sure, there were bits I didn’t quite love (I didn’t quite understand why Elle kept going after boyfriend Warner Huntington III for quite so long when he was so clearly a massive turd, but oh well) but on the whole it showed me that I should’ve kept my mind open to revisiting old genres I had previously panned. There’s no need to think too hard, and it soothes your alcohol-pickled brain with fantastical twists and wrongs being righteously righted. All in all, I give it a 8/10, and recommend it to anyone who’s hungover and needs a pick-me-up.

P.s. the film has a new hairstyle for everyone one of Elle’s scenes, which I thought was great attention to detail. 25 all in all.