'I object!': What critics are saying about Legally Blonde prequel Elle

Lexi Minetree plays Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde prequel. (Supplied: Prime Video) Link copiedShareShare articleYour honour, Legally Bonde was an indisputable hit. The 2001 romantic comedy and satire, which had Australian director Robert Luketic at its helm, starred Reese Witherspoon as bubbly sorority girl Elle Woods, who enrols in Harvard Law school in a bid to win back her ex-boyfriend. Its sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, received a much more subdued reception when it was released in 2003, but that didn't dampen the intellectual property as a hot commodity. There have been musicals, a 2009 teen comedy called Legally Blondes, and Witherspoon has confirmed she's interested in making a Legally Blonde 3. It's hard to overstate the cultural significance of Legally Blonde. Talk show host Jimmy Fallon accused US president Donald Trump of plagiarising Woods in a speech. Reality star Kim Kardashian has channelled Woods for Halloween and has been trying to pass the California bar exam. Naturally, there's a significant amount of interest in the Legally Blonde prequel Elle — a television series streaming on Prime Video from Wednesday. Elle leans heavily on nostalgia. (Supplied: Prime Video) Elle stars Lexi Minetree in the iconic role, which took Witherspoon from a star to a Hollywood superstar. Witherspoon is an executive producer on the TV show, which follows a teenage Elle in 1995 as she navigates high school friendships, forbidden romance and family bonds. In season one of the series, Elle is faced with a sudden move from LA to Seattle. The series also features Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek in his final role. On a day when news broke that consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was suing Amazon alleging unfair contract terms for Prime Video, the streaming service also faced objections from critics. ABC News is bringing you a selection of reviews all in one place. Jasmine Valentine from TechRadar loved Elle, saying Minetree gives Witherspoon a run for her money. "As someone prepared to loathe it, take this next remark with absolute seriousness and sincerity: this series is outrageously good … if you'd have told me that Lexi Minetree was actually an AI version of Witherspoon in her twenties, I'd have believed you." Rose Gallagher from Stylist says if you grew up in the 90s, Elle feels like "a love letter to your childhood". "The funny thing about Elle is that it manages to capture the 90s completely and at the same time touch on the modern-day notion of cancel culture … believe me when I say, this is a gorgeous honouring of the original story, wrapped in so much nostalgia and warmth." Moira Macdonald from The Seattle Times has called the series a "charmer". "Elle is a cute, funny fish-out-of-water comedy series … and Lexi Minetree in the title role is uncannily good at channelling young Witherspoon's performance in the 2001 movie, with that sweet breathiness and wide-eyed comic timing down pat." Vicky Jessop from NME has called Elle "a peppy, hot pink delight". "The gentle humour is all part of this show's charm. In Elle's world, anybody can be won over with the power of optimism, a wisecrack and a shared love of Chanel." Ben Travers of IndieWire is not a fan, calling Elle "dull and deluded". "Pink isn't a personality," Elle's main adversary snipes at her — if only the show took that "advice" to heart … A "Legally Blonde" series that doesn't make sense as a prequel is one thing. But a Legally Blonde series that doesn't take itself seriously as a comedy or as a source of inspiration? I object!" Jack Seale from RadioTimes says TV as "bland" as this "should be illegal". "It should be a lot of peppy fun and in the odd moment it is, but the scripts seem to be deliberately half-baked, as if the show isn't expecting your full attention: the supporting characters are generic and whenever a scene throws up an opportunity to deliver a killer gag, it habitually chooses something only gently amusing instead." Rebecca Nicholson from Financial Times says Elle is "stifled by nostalgia". "The episodes are long and meandering, the comedy barely perceptible and the sentiment overly earnest. The nods to teen cinema classics, such as the wittier Clueless and the sharper Mean Girls, only serve to highlight this toothlessness." You can decide for yourself when Elle begins streaming on Prime Video from tomorrow. You'll find Legally Blonde there as well and on Stan. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)See more ABC coverage in your search results PromotionTop StoriesAustralian 'lived normal life' before allegedly dumping Thai teen's bodyTopic:Crime

'I object!': What critics are saying about Legally Blonde prequel Elle

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'I object!': What critics are saying about Legally Blonde prequel Elle

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