LEGALLY BLONDE

In this fancifully soft comedy directed by newcomer Robert Luketic, the popular, rich Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has everything — above all a head of perfectly highlighted eye-popping bouncy blond hair. But when blue-blooded boyfriend Emmett (Luke Wilson) takes off for Harvard Law School, leaving her for old-money prep-school prude Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair), Elle whips herself into an LSAT frenzy, somehow gaining last-minute admission to Harvard and a chance to win him back. Once in Cambridge, high-maintenance chic is confronted with anti-blonde, anti-LA discrimination and the chirpy film turns into something like Clueless with streaks of Good Will Hunting — the prejudice, the undiscovered genius, the cute clothes, the quick saucy quips. With her Cosmo, her full set of manicured nails, and her stiletto ankle boots, Elle is — duh — taken for a ditz. But the broken-hearted blonde has a one-track mind, and ultimately her knowledge of Prada, her hair-care skills, and her infamous gym prowess help her win her case. Sure, this is no Paper Trail, but its knowing bubblegum playfulness is rewarding all the same.

— Nina Willdorf