Twenty-five years after Reese Witherspoon became a film star with Legally Blonde, she has produced a small-screen prequel titled Elle, now streaming on Prime Video. The series aims to recreate the magic of the original by casting Lexi Minetree as a charismatic young Elle Woods, but a tropey script and lack of camp effervescence leave it falling short of expectations.
What Happens in Elle?
The prequel follows a 16-year-old Elle Woods, living a privileged life in Bel Air and planning her high school junior year with meticulous social strategy. However, her father Wyatt (Tom Everett Scott) botches a celebrity nose job, forcing the family to relocate to grungy Seattle in the mid-1990s. Elle must navigate a new school filled with mean girls and boys who dismiss her pink-obsessed personality, saying 'pink is not a personality.' The series spans eight episodes on Prime Video.
Strengths: Casting and Family Dynamics
Lexi Minetree delivers a performance that captures the sassiness and sweetness of the original Elle Woods, making her un-self-aware without being imbecilic. The Woods family's closeness provides charm, bolstered by strong comic performances from Tom Everett Scott and June Diane Raphael as Elle's parents. Their chemistry helps the series maintain some appeal, even when the plot falters.
Weaknesses: Visual Aesthetic and Script
The show's visual aesthetic is a letdown, dominated by 'sludgy browns, greys and camo-plaid combos over band T-shirts,' which feels depressing and undermines the bubbly energy of the franchise. The script leans heavily on high school comedy tropes: the mean girl with a secret, the love triangle, the new best friend, social faux pas, and locker insults, without fresh twists or memorable dialogue. One standout line involves Elle's despair at advice to have a kid or go on SNL after social death: 'But I'm a virgin!' cries Elle. 'And I can't wait till Saturday!'
Comparison to the Original
Unlike the 2001 film, which thrived on camp effervescence, Elle quickly loses that spark. The new characters are either bland or humorlessly proto-woke, making some hard to like. The series offers harmless escapism but lacks the inventive wit and visual flair that made Legally Blonde a cult classic. As the review notes, 'It's bend and SNAP, not give up halfway.'
Overall Verdict
Elle has enough charm to get by thanks to its cast, but given its pedigree and the potential of its premise, it could have been so much more. The series is now streaming on Prime Video.
