Twenty-five years after Reese Witherspoon became a film star with Legally Blonde, she has returned to the franchise as a producer for a television prequel titled Elle, now streaming on Prime Video. The series stars Lexi Minetree as a teenage Elle Woods, aiming to capture the sassiness and sweetness of the original character. However, despite Minetree's charismatic performance, the show struggles with a tropey script and a lack of camp effervescence, ultimately failing to sparkle.
Plot and Setting
The series reimagines Elle Woods as a high school student rather than a college graduate. Forced to leave her Bel Air bubble after her father botches a celebrity nose job, Elle relocates with her family to grungy Seattle in the mid-1990s. There, she must navigate a new school filled with mean girls and boys who tell her that “pink is not a personality.” The eight-episode series follows Elle's attempts to make friends and fit in while maintaining her irrepressible optimism.
The premiere episode opens with Elle's 16th birthday party at her family mansion, where she plans to manage high school social politics, secure a first kiss with Hot Josh, and keep up with Days of Our Lives. However, the move to Seattle upends her plans, and she must start anew.
Performance and Cast
Lexi Minetree delivers a performance that echoes Reese Witherspoon's original portrayal, making Elle un-self-aware without being imbecilic. The supporting cast includes Tom Everett Scott as Elle's father Wyatt, who adjusts to a new job at a small firm, and June Diane Raphael as mother Eva, who reworks their rental's decor. Their performances provide warmth and humor, helping the series maintain some charm.
According to the review, the Woods family's closeness and the adult actors' comic timing give the show enough appeal to get by, but it could have been much more given its pedigree.
Script and Aesthetic Shortcomings
The series quickly leans on high school comedy tropes: the mean girl with a secret, the love triangle, the new best friend, and social faux pas. One standout line involves Elle's despair at advice from her LA friend Madison: “The best way to stage a comeback after social death is to have a kid or go on SNL.” Elle replies, “But I’m a virgin! And I can’t wait till Saturday!”
The visual aesthetic is described as depressing, with sludgy browns, greys, and camo-plaid combinations that contrast sharply with the vibrant pinks of the original film. The new characters are often bland or humorlessly proto-woke, making them difficult to like.
Comparison to the Original
The camp effervescence that made Legally Blonde a cult classic quickly dissipates in this prequel. While the series offers harmless escapism, it lacks the fresh twists and killer lines that defined the original. The review concludes that Elle “gets the job done” but falls short of its potential, noting that it should “bend and SNAP, not give up halfway.”
