Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
Reese Witherspoon is back as Elle Woods, as cute as ever. She's managed to become a rising star at a local law firm, but when her animal rights activism gets in the way of her work, she gets fired. In preparation for her wedding, she intends to invite the mother of her dog Bruiser, but finds she's being held at a cosmetic testing facility and have no intention of freeing her since what they are doing is legal. Elle thus heads to Washington D.C. to change the law. There, she is met with the usual politicking, from low-level staffers fighting their way up the ladder to politicians trading favors. But with her connections to her sorority and Bruiser, Elle manages to get her bill into Congress. Getting it passed takes a last-minute twist to overcome.

With a different director (Charles Herman-Wurmfeld from Kissing Jessica Stein) and different writers (3 of them!), they did their best to emulate the style of Elle Woods, but it becomes just a cheap imitation without the charm of the first one. Part of this is because the things Elle was known for in the first movie expire way too early in the second. She grows up before our very eyes becoming a serious woman and a savvy politician instead of the lady who does things her own way. So, without this key element, the writers had to rely on the ditzy motions of her friends, which (among them include crazy haircuts and a cheerleading sequence among interns) fall flat on the floor. And speaking of falling flat, what's with the original premise? She's inviting her dog's mother to a wedding. She's supposed to be smart and ditzy, not flat-out dumb. As a result, its few funny scenes to get an idea onto a bill and into law can't save the movie. 1.5 stars