Legally Blonde 2 (4 Stars)

I loved the first Legally Blonde film because of its message. Beneath all the comedy it showed female empowerment. It's not just about women succeeding in a man's world. It showed that a woman could succeed without giving up her femininity. Elle Woods fought men on her own terms and won. She carried on wearing pink clothes instead of wearing drab colours and becoming an ersatz man.

That message is still in the second film, but there are other themes. It's a political satire, it's about animal rights, it's about gay rights. These themes take the forefront and practically bury the message of female empowerment, only letting it appear in comical situations.

The film takes place a few years after the first film. Elle is now working at a Boston law film, and she's planning her wedding to Emmett, who guided her at Harvard Law School in the first film. She wants to invite the mother of her Chihuahua Bruiser to the wedding, so she hires a private detective to find her. The investigation finds that she's locked up in a laboratory that tests animals to make cosmetics. The shock makes her go to Washington to start a campaign to outlaw the use of animals in product testing.

Elle becomes the assistant of a congresswoman who belonged to her former sorority, Delta Nu. As she progresses she discovers that politics is all about politics for its own sake, not about doing what's right. What I mean is that following the traditional procedures is more important than the end result. Nevertheless, Elle tries to do things her own way. She remains pink to the end.

Octavia Spencer plays a small role as a security guard. Francis? Strange name. She'd look pretty in pink as well.

Elle Woods arrives in Washington, looking pinker than ever,

This is her new office. It looks like it's straight out of a Barbie box.

But look at her feet. I don't know why Quentin Tarantino hasn't cast her yet.

Elle's friend Paulette now has a daughter who wears a UPS uniform. If you've seen the first film you'll understand the joke.

Here's a spoiler: the film ends with a happy wedding. We don't see much of Emmett in the film, but he's there when it counts.

"Legally Blonde 2" is an enjoyable film, though not up to the quality of the first film. I've read that a third film, "Legally Blonde 3", will be released next year. That's enough to make any film fan groan. After 19 years? Delayed sequels suck. I expect the worst, but I'll hope for the best.

The film is universally available on DVD, but it's only available on Blu-ray in America. Beware! The Blu-ray is locked to region A.

Success Rate:  + 0.8

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