59
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenIf this Popsicle of a movie melts long before it's over, the first half has more good laughs than all of “Sweethearts.”
- 80Wall Street JournalWall Street JournalThanks to Ms. Witherspoon's artful portrayal of a winning, if beachless, Gidget, I found Legally Blonde very enjoyable.
- 75Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaSmart screwball comedy that upends the stereotype of the airhead towhead.
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerImagine the sequel to "Clueless" reconceived as a peroxide "Paper Chase" and punched up with a valley girl version of "My Cousin Vinny" for the climax.
- 70TV Guide MagazineStephen MillerTV Guide MagazineStephen MillerWitherspoon turns in yet another stellar, nuanced comic performance.
- 63Miami HeraldMiami HeraldUnashamedly sticks with its light comedy roots.
- 63New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardLike all blond jokes, Legally Blonde is basically meanspirited, and that's when it's funniest.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranGuilty of squandering resources. Amusing as it goes about setting up its premise, in Witherspoon, the gifted veteran of "Election" and "Pleasantville," it has an actress willing to throw herself completely into the part to excellent effect.
- 50New York PostJonathan ForemanNew York PostJonathan ForemanMerely a watery, poorly directed update of "Clueless."
- 50The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe character as written is incoherent, but Ms. Witherspoon has the reflexes to make Elle both appealing and ridiculous. It's funny -- in that slightly queasy, un-P.C. Doris Day kind of way.