This is nice, but even more sugary and unbelievable than the first. At least the first movie was a bit realistic, it was all about her being smart enough to study law, perfectly possible, but this… is different. This movie is about people in power yielding to her charm and goodness to do the right thing… which is not how politics work, this whole movie is one of the more unrealistic thing I’ve ever seen. Including Alien, because you don’t really know what’s out there, but we do know how are people on this planet.
It sounds naive and silly, but it’s not bad. It’s enjoyable now, but I’m sure as a teenager I would have liked it much more, back when I believed the propaganda that the ones in power actually care about people. I’d have loved the positive message, the optimism, just as I loved “Mr Smith goes to Washington”. I really liked James Stewart and his common-man image, but I also like Reese Witherspoon a lot - and more since knowing that her contract gave her all of Elle’s clothes :-p and shoes, I guess.
Plot in details:
Elle is about to marry her Emmett, and Paulette is happy for her. Margot and Serena came all the way for her. They kind of thought she’ be doing the wife now, but Elle has no intention of leaving her job, she loves being a lawyer, “actually I have this huge annual review coming up, so keep’em crossed, girls, ok?”
She wants her dog’s birth mother to be at the wedding so a private investigator finds her. Elle goes to this place to discover that mum-dog is property of this ‘Versace cosmetic testing facility. Her firm represents the owners so she tries to convince them all that it should be shut down and all the animals freed because it’s unjust. She thinks her job is to fight for what is just, her boss says their job is to fight for their clients “and their best interests”.
She feels strongly about it, and doesn’t think she can work for people who are ok with hurting human beings if they keep following “the letter of the law”, so she’s fired. Her brilliant future stops here, her boss only wants “serious lawyers”. So Elle goes to Washington with the clear intention to change the law and stop cosmetic testing on animals. Elle knows congresswoman Rudd who personally hires her, “taking up a bill on animal testing in the cosmetic industry”; Rudd’s team thinks it’s a matter of conscience, to “boost our female demographic”. Rudd talks of Elle as “one of the shrewdest legal and political minds of our time”, which doesn’t really go along with her Barbie image all in pink.
A blonde in pink, they assume she’s an idiot. Why? Because in this world where women listened to propaganda and buried feminism for good, they can only be taken seriously if they dress/act like men, shame on Elle to show all her femininity on the outside instead of keeping it only for dates!
Rudd introduces her as “basically me when I first came to D.C.” The people in the team think of her as stupid or useless anyway.
Elle makes friends with her hotel’s doorman Sidney who suggests she approaches congresswoman Hauser if she wants a hearing for her bill. He starts helping her a lot, but the others still don’t, Grace thinks of her as one of the many idealistic girls who get nowhere because “it takes savvy and street smarts” because “this is Washington politics, not warm fuzzies and kissing booths”.
So Elle goes back to herself, and reaches Hauser by going to the same hairdresser (Paulette found it for her). This Hauser has the same sisterhood ring, so they connect through that, of course.
Her Chihuahua Bruiser is male, and he likes another male dog, a Rottweiler. She was trying to reach Stanford Marks too, after Hauser, and of course it’s his Rottweiler. She gets her hearing but of course there are many many people against it. Still, Sid gives her personal information on many congresspeople so she does reach to them and it’s going great, until Rudd herself comes in. She says that she feels she “must withdraw my support for Bruiser’s bill” shocking everyone. Most of all Elle.
Rudd tells Elle that “you were outmaneuvered by Grace”, because “she’s been pushing this Homeowners Incentives bill, this morning she struck a deal. I withdraw my support for Bruiser’s bill, Homeowners Incentives comes to a vote. That was the price, and I paid it”.
Elle sounds really naive here: “that’s all just deals and trades and secrets. That’s not what people want” as if power-people would care about that. Not about real, common people, but this is that kind of movie, isn’t it? Where the good heart can win against politics? As if…
The team - bar Grace - goes to comfort her. They want to go on and try again before she gives up. They become her staff and with Marks and Hauser they file a “discharge petition” - which I had to look up on Google because it sounded negative, but it means to get it out of the Committee and directly to the vote. So a good thing, for them. They need 218 people to sign it; Marks and Hauser already did, so Elle needs to convince 216 more in three weeks.
She called for her friends to help, Margot and Serena. Paulette too, of course. Paulette offers free fabulous haircuts and gets many votes (she can do hair too? She did nails at first).
The two girls do a cheerleading number with some interns. More votes. Rudd’s big supporter Bob is the one who wanted this bill to fail, and Rudd tells him Elle will never make it, “I will not be outmaneuvered by this silly little blonde”.
Elle believes it’s Grace working against her, and believes all Rudd’s words… until she finally talks with Grace and she understands the truth. They have a face to face. Elle calls the whole sisterhood and soon a sea of girls with their dogs invades Washington. They march, hand out fliers, make all the covers… they get ahead but need 15 more. Grace comes to help, because of course she does, because Elle is so good and pure that she touches hearts.
Grace blackmails Rudd so that Rudd has to let her speak in front of the whole congress. Elle talks about her hair… ending with the need to get involved in the process, to speak one’s voice. They applaud her, and with this end-of-movie speech she gets all the signatures she needed. Rudd signed too, Elle’s bill passed and “bowing to public pressure, test animals across the Country were released”.
Elle and Emmett get married, Paulette’s husband joins her, Sid has Bruiser’s mom now, Reena and Timothy get together, the congress members now talk and snap their fingers like Elle, and she plans to go live in the White House some day…
The end.
Elle Woods is Reese Witherspoon
Congresswoman Rudd is Sally Field
Grace is Regina King
Paulette is Jennifer Coolidge
Stanford Marks is Bruce McGill
Hauser is Dana Ivey
Reena is Mary Lynn Rajskub
Timothy is J. Barton
Sid Post is Bob Newhart
Emmett is Luke Wilson
P.s. Elle and Emmett watch “Mr Smith goes to Washington” *love* of course they do ^_^
ITA una bionda in carriera
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