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Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

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Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (also referred to simply as Legally Blonde 2) is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and written by Kate Kondell. It is a sequel to the 2001 film Legally Blonde and the second film in the Legally Blonde series. It stars Reese Witherspoon (who also served as the film's executive producer) alongside an ensemble cast featuring Sally Field, Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Bruce McGill, Dana Ivey, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bob Newhart, Luke Wilson, and Bruce Thomas, with Coolidge, Wilson, and Thomas reprising their roles from the first film.

Legally Blonde 2:
Red, White & Blonde
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Herman-Wurmfeld
Screenplay byKate Kondell
Based onCharacters
by Amanda Brown
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyElliot Davis
Edited byPeter Teschner
Music byRolfe Kent
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM Distribution Co. (United States)
20th Century Fox (International)[1]
Release date
  • July 2, 2003 (2003-07-02)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[2]
Box office$125.9 million[2]

Although the story is set in Washington, D.C., the film was shot in the offices at the Delta Center and the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. The supposed "aerial views" on Washington buildings were scale models built by the crew.[3]

The film opened on July 2, 2003, to generally negative reviews from critics. Nevertheless, it was a box office success, grossing $125 million worldwide. It was followed by a 2003 television pilot, starring Jennifer Hall, and a 2009 spin-off, Legally Blondes, starring Camilla and Rebecca Rosso, while a sequel is in development, with Witherspoon, Coolidge, Wilson, and Thomas reprising their roles.

Plot

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After graduating from Harvard Law School,[a] Elle Woods wants her Chihuahua, Bruiser, to reunite with his mother, hoping both dogs will attend her wedding to her fiancé Emmett. Elle hires a detective to find Bruiser's mother, only to discover that her owner is C'est Magnifique, a cosmetics company that uses Bruiser's mother for testing. Discovering her law firm represents the corporation, she urges the firm to drop them as a client but is dismissed.

Elle decides to leave Boston for Washington, D.C., to work on Bruiser's Bill. Elle takes it upon herself to be the "voice for those who can't speak" and to outlaw animal testing. While working for Congresswoman Victoria Rudd, Elle is met with skepticism and other barriers common to Washington politics. Rudd's member of staff, Timothy, sarcastically calls her "Capitol Barbie". After a variety of ups and downs including a failed attempt to improve her work environment by having her co-workers write compliments about one another and place them in the "snap cup", Elle starts to lose her faith in Washington politics.

Elle discovers that Bruiser is gay, after she is paged by "The Paws That Refreshes: A Doggy Day Spa". He has been affectionate with Leslie, a Rottweiller owned by Congressman Stan Marks, the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce which has jurisdiction over Bruiser's Bill. Elle also finds that Congresswoman Libby Hauser, the Ranking Member of the same committee, was a member of Elle's sorority Delta Nu. As a result, both Marks and Hauser warm to Elle and eventually come to support Bruiser's Bill.

Elle also discovers that Rudd has actually been working against her. She has been trying to satisfy the interests of a major campaign donor named "Bob" (with whom Rudd has several telephone conversations).

However, Rudd is eventually blackmailed into supporting Elle's petition thanks to her Chief of Staff, Grace Rossiter. She has a recorded conversation during which Rudd admits to Elle that she has been working against Bruiser's Bill to help her sponsors who want to continue testing on animals.

As Grace is appalled that Rudd lied to Elle and blamed it on her, Grace and Elle eventually reach a place of mutual respect, especially after Grace admits she came to Washington, D.C., with an enthusiasm not unlike Elle's, but later lost that idealism when she discovered how dirty politics could really be.

With the help of her friends, Elle's discharge petition is successful, and Bruiser's Bill is brought to the floor of the House. Bruiser's mother and the rest of the dogs are released by C'est Magnifique Corporation.

Elle and Emmett get married in a park in D.C., albeit not at Fenway Park as they had planned, but standing on the home plate delivered to D.C. by Paulette's husband. Emmett asks Elle where she wants to live since they are now a married couple, and he goes on to suggest the cities of Boston, Beverly Hills, and Washington DC.

Cast

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Sequel

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Main article: Legally Blonde 3

In June 2018, Reese Witherspoon entered negotiations with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to produce and star in a third installment in the Legally Blonde film series. Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith were hired as co-screenwriters.[4] MGM later confirmed in a Twitter post that Legally Blonde 3 was set to be released on May 8, 2020,[5] though it did not meet this date. In May 2020, it was announced that Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor would write an entirely new script for the film.[6]

Reception

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Critical response

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 36% based on 158 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus states: "This blonde joke is less funny the second time around."[7] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 47 based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B" on scale of A+ to F.[9] Entertainment Weekly ranked it at number 21 on their list of "Top 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made" (2006).[10]

Box office

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Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde hit theaters on the Wednesday before the Fourth of July in 2003 and grossed nearly $40 million by Monday. The following weekend ticket sales were half of that, and the film quickly left theaters in the coming weeks. Grossing about $90 million in the U.S., the film was a success for the studio, though many expected it to perform just as well as Witherspoon's last big film, Sweet Home Alabama.

Home media

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The film was released on DVD and VHS in November 4, 2003. The video sold 2 million copies earning a profit of over 35.4 million dollars.[11] The film was released on Blu-Ray in March 29, 2011.

Soundtrack

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Legally Blonde 2:
Red, White & Blonde –
Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedJuly 1, 2003 (2003-07-01)
Genre
LabelCurb
Producer
Singles from Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde – Motion Picture Soundtrack
  1. "We Can"
    Released: June 16, 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]     

A soundtrack for the film was released on July 1, 2003, by Curb Records.[14] "We Can" was released as a single for the soundtrack by American country music recording artist LeAnn Rimes on June 16, 2003, by Curb Records.[15]

Track listing
No.TitleRecording artist(s)Length
1."We Can"LeAnn Rimes3:40
2."Breakthrough"Hope 72:45
3."Atomic Dog" (Dogs of the World Unite Remix)George Clinton (featuring Coolio)4:23
4."Me Against the World"Superchick2:58
5."I'm Just a Bill"Deluxx Folk Implosion3:26
6."Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin4:53
7."More Bounce (In California)"Soul Kid #13:59
8."For What It's Worth"Candyskins4:00
9."Power to the People"John Lennon3:21
10."America"Lou Reed2:49
11."We Can" (American Mix)LeAnn Rimes3:36

Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in Legally Blonde (2001)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Legally Blonde 2 - Red White & Blonde (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. June 27, 2003. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Legally Blonde 2:Red, White and Blonde". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde Production Notes | 2003 Movie Releases". Made in Atlantis. September 16, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (June 4, 2018). "Reese Witherspoon in Talks to Return for 'Legally Blonde 3'". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 25, 2019). "'Morbius' & 'Ghostbusters' Solidify Summer 2020 Release Dates". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 18, 2020). "'Legally Blonde 3': Mindy Kaling & Dan Goor Giving Fresh Take To MGM-Hello Sunshine Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Legally Blonde 2 - Red, White & Blonde". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde". Metacritic. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Legally Blonde 2 (2003) B". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  10. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (December 22, 2007). "The 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Year End 2003 Top-selling titles (combined VHS and DVD)". Variety. December 30, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Legally Blonde 2: Motion Picture Soundtrack (CD). Various Artists. Curb Records. 2003. D2-78822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Legally Blonde 2 - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  14. ^ "Legally Blonde 2 - Motion Picture Soundtrack: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  15. ^ "Curb, Rimes Go For Three In A Row With 'Blonde' Single". Billboard. July 19, 2003. p. 14. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
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