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HTF REVIEW: "Legally Blonde" Hands down must buy! (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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LEGALLY BLONDE

What an incentive to write a review tonight!
I don't know where Reese Witherspoon or this
movie came from, but it seems that someone
suddenly opened up the windows and let in a
breathe of fresh air. Legally Blonde is
easily the most refreshing movie I have seen
this Summer.
Who would have known?
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a California
sorority girl who majors in fashion. She's the
most popular girl in her school, always ready
with a make-up tip or advice on the best outfit
to wear. She's a carefree blonde dating the most
handsome guy on campus. In fact, it's truly a
perfect day (as the title song suggests) because
Elle is convinced her boyfriend is going to propose
to her that very night.
As it turns out, her boyfriend (Matthew Davis)
dumps her and leaves for Harvard Law School. Elle
succumbs to locking herself in her dorm room and
wasting her life away...until..she brainstorms an
idea to enroll at Harvard herself.
What follows is the story of ditzy blonde meets
Hardvard brains in the most well-written and
refreshing comedies in long memory.
Of course, you have to owe the success of this
movie to Reese Witherspoon. She is just a wonder
of wonders to watch. She has this role nailed
down perfectly, and is one of the most startling
new pieces of Hollywood talent to appear in years.
MGM has done an outstanding job with this DVD.
Let me first say that the transfer is gorgeous.
This movie is full of colors, rich and vibrant,
that practically leap out of every scene. It seems
that color is one of THE most important elements
of this film, and MGM has done a great job showing
them off with a crisp transfer.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix is practically
nonexistent. However, this is a comedy film --
not an action film that requires the use of a
full soundfield. To make up for the lack of
surrounds, the main stereo tracks are extremely
bright and full of punch. The disc sounds GREAT!
I didn't have much time to dwell on the supplements,
as this was my 2nd review I had to do today. I wish
this was the one I started with, as it really deserves
more attention to the supplements. I can tell you
that from what I have seen, there are at least 6
deleted scenes. There are 2 audio commentaries,
one by Director Robert Luketic, and the other by
Reese Witherspoon. I look forward to watching this
disc again and listening to her talk about this film
out of character. She must be an intelligent
actress to do such an incredible job with this role.
One really cool feature I discovered is the
TRIVIA TRACK, a sort of "pop up video"
that occurs throughout the entire film. A transparent
balloon pops up and tells you all sorts of trivial
facts about the scene. For instance, you will learn
everything from law ethics to the favorite junk food
of the actress on the witness stand. The pop-up
trivia balloons are numerous, and often display
very interesting facts you can take back to the
office with you.
But let me get back to the movie itself....
You know, this movie did fairly well for MGM
this Summer, receiving box office and critical
praise. I wonder how many guys actually went to
see this film. I know that I never even thought
about it. Thought it was a teenage girl-flick
movie. Wrong! This a movie that will take you
by surprise. I sat chuckling throughout the film.
It's hard to remain macho and say things like "this
film is really cute and funny" -- but it's true!
If you have extra money budgeted for DVDs, take
a blind shot and buy this movie. I think it is
a great movie to watch with friends and enjoy
some really great laughs over.
Release Date: November 6th
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Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
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GlennH

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Thanks for the review Ron. Some other online reviews mentioned some compression artifacts possibly due to MGM cramming too much on the disc (includes a fullframe version on the same side as the widescreen?). I take it you didn't notice any of that?
 

Ronald Epstein

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Saw no artifacts whatsoever.
The disc looks great!
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Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
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JohnS

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I think what makes this movie SO charming is the performance by Reese Witherspoon. She made the movie. I think if ANYBODY else starred in her place, the movie would have really stunk!
This is a MUST BUY for me!
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Bruce Hedtke

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Pretty much any Reese Witherspoon film is a must buy for me. Thanks for the review, Ron.
Bruce
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JohnS

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I forgot to mention that Reese has already signed onto Legally Blonde 2.
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BrianB

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I don't know where Reese Witherspoon or this
movie came from, but it seems that someone
suddenly opened up the windows and let in a
breathe of fresh air.
Rent "Election", one of her previous films, which also stars Matthew Broderick. Darn good satire on high school elections & politics/power in general. Very very funny. She's incredibly good in it.
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Tom Ryan

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Hmmmm.......count me out for this one, I hate paying for P&S
frown.gif
.
-Tom
[Edited last by Tom Ryan on October 17, 2001 at 08:40 PM]
 

Justin_S

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I saw this film in theaters and loved it. I will definitely grab the DVD ASAP. Reese is a great actress, one of my favorites. She is also extremely gorgeous. Can't wait to check out the commentaries.
 

John Stone

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I've been a huge Reese Witherspoon fan since 1993, when I saw Man in the Moon for the first time. If you haven't already, make sure you pick up Freeway and Election. Both films are excellent, and Reese is absolutely perfect in both of them.
Reese rules. :)
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John
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JJR512

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I'm surprised Ronald Epstein seems to have never heard of Reese Witherspoon before. She has 22 movie credits listed on imdb. Some of her better-known roles are:
Election
Cruel Intentions
Pleasantville
Fear
She's also guest starred on Friends as Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) younger sister.
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Pieter_L

Reese:
MAN IN THE MOON was great, but my favorite is probably BEST LAID PLANS (stylish / noir).
stay away from SFW
 

SteveGon

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LB is that good, huh? Unfortunately, I've been buying way too many dvds lately! Still, I'll definitely give this one a rental.
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Ronald Epstein

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I'm surprised Ronald Epstein seems to have never heard of Reese Witherspoon before.
Have not seen any of the movies above,
except Pleasantville. I remember her now.
She was the blonde that painted the town red and
ended up staying (if I recall).
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Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
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Inspector Hammer!

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I'm looking forward to this dvd as well, this sounds like it's going to be a great movie.
BTW, I seem to be having some trouble with my posts not showing up after submission, if you can see this message, please respond. Thanks.
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Michael Reuben

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Hmmmm.......count me out for this one, I hate paying for P&S
Then I guess you won't be buying Shrek either.
But how are you "paying for P&S" with Legally Blonde? The list price is $26.98, which is about average for MGM's special editions (Terminator's list price was the same; Hannibal's was more).
M.
 

David Lawson

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I've always been partial to Reese's performance in the first five minutes of Twilight. Link Removed
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Link Removed
He obviously misinterpreted what it means to "be bullish."
 

John Stone

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Hmmmm.......count me out for this one, I hate paying for P&S
To be clear: the Legally Blonde DVD will come with both P&S and 2.35:1 anamorphic transfers. Maybe you thought it was a P&S only release? However, if what you are saying is that you won't purchase this DVD simply because it contains both versions, then I don't know what to say to you other than you're missing out on some excellent DVDs!
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