The comedy LEGALLY BLONDE, starring the effervescent Reese Witherspoon, brought its bend and snap to the big screen in 2001, following underestimated law student Elle Woods whose blonde ambition leads her from Bel Air to the hallowed halls of Harvard.

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AFI Movie Club: LEGALLY BLONDE
Watch Chloë Grace Moretz announce LEGALLY BLONDE. Director Robert Luketic on the making of LEGALLY BLONDE. DID YOU KNOW? LEGALLY BLONDE marked Robert Luketic’s feature film directorial debut. He went on to direct other female-fronted comedies written by women including MONSTER-IN-LAW (2005) and THE UGLY TRUTH (2009). DID YOU KNOW? Based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Amanda Brown, LEGALLY BLONDE told the story of her personal experiences while attending Stanford University’s law school. Film producer Marc Platt was also involved with developing Brown’s manuscript, which eventually moved the setting to Harvard University. DID YOU KNOW? LEGALLY BLONDE was the second teaming of writing partners Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith. They previously adapted another literary source—William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”— for the 1999 comedy 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. DID YOU KNOW? A surprise box-office success, LEGALLY BLONDE was produced for $18 million and grossed nearly eight times that amount. DID YOU KNOW? LEGALLY BLONDE spawned various sequels and spinoffs, including two feature films to date and a musical that had its San Francisco premiere in 2007. A third movie has been announced for release in 2022. DID YOU KNOW? LEGALLY BLONDE was honored with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy. Reese Witherspoon won the award for Best Actress—Musical or Comedy. She was also the recipient of the MTV Movie Award for Best Actress. Learn more at the AFI Catalog. The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Discussion Questions Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram now using #AFIMovieClub. Or post your responses in the comment section below. AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. See all of the titles programmed for AFI Movie Club here. Each day’s film is accompanied by fun facts, family-friendly discussion points and material from the AFI Archive to enrich your viewing experience. Learn more in our FAQ section. Don’t miss out on the latest AFI Movie Club news. Sign up for our newsletter. MOVIE TRIVIA
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