Few movie characters are as iconic and memorable as Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon. In my opinion, Elle has to be up there with Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn. Though equally fashionable, Holly was better known for her little black dress, while Elle dons her signature color, pink.
And interestingly, this prequel was inspired by another iconic movie character, Wednesday Addams. According to Reese Witherspoon’s interview, she was inspired by Jenny Ortega’s Wednesday, which streams on Netflix.
Legally Blonde (1) is one of my ultimate favorite movies. I find it so inspirational. Elle was the very definition of blonde—beautiful, rich, and a fashionista. But while it was easy to mistake her for dumb, she quickly proved she was also smart. Even smart enough to go to Harvard Law School! Sure, she fumbled at the start, being more concerned about getting her ex-boyfriend back. But then she proved to everyone and herself that she was more than just a blonde with Daddy’s credit card.
So of course when I read that it was getting a prequel, I knew I had to watch it. I wanted to see for myself whether they were going to do right by the original or if this is just another Hollywood cash grab banking on nostalgia. I even made a mental note to re-subscribe to Prime Video by July, when the series was going to stream, though Off Campus fast-tracked my subscription timeline!
What’s the Story of Prime Video’s Elle
The story is set way before Elle Woods ever set foot in Harvard Law School, specifically in 1995. In Prime Video’s Elle, she’s an incoming junior in high school. She’s forced to leave her fabulous life and friends in sunny California for rainy Seattle after her father botched a famous celebrity’s nose job.
Teenage Elle deals with tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices. In this prequel, viewers learn what shaped Elle to become the woman we came to know and love in Legally Blonde.
Things I Loved About Elle
Lexie Minetree as Elle
I think the young actress stepped into the iconic role that’s been well associated with Reese Witherspoon flawlessly. She’s as cute and charming as young Elle. And while she had to ensure she got the Elle character’s mannerisms right to make her a believable Elle Woods, she was able to put her own take on it. She brings a charming combination of vulnerable naivete and wide-eyed determination that’s fitting of a high school Elle.
The Fashion is Preppy Perfection
Elle is a fashionista. She rocks a wardrobe that female viewers would want to wear as well. And I think young Elle also had that.
It’s a good thing Reese Witherspoon is the executive producer of Prime Video’s Elle. Because she was the original Elle, I think she has a deep understanding of how important it is to get young Elle’s fashion choices right. Sure, there were a couple of outfit choices in the prequel that nod to the original Legally Blonde movie, but I definitely think they put a lot of thought into how they were going to put together teenage Elle’s fashion, which is also set on a different timeline.
And I think that it even made her character stand out because of how different and colorful her outfit choices were compared to the plaid and grunge-wearing students of Rainier West High School.
The Setting is 1995
As a millennial who grew up in the early 90s, watching Elle takes me back to those days. It even leans into the nostalgia with nods to iconic teen movies of those days like Clueless. And I especially liked the 90s music soundtrack selection of Elle Season 1. No Doubt’s Just A Girl is on endless repeat in my head.
The Plot
Prime Video’s Elle has all the high school tropes—navigating friendships, dealing with mean girls, and even love triangles. I like her friendship with Liz (Gabrielle Policano). They’ve got such different personalities—whereas Elle is bubbly and friendly, Liz is sullen and aloof yet as their friendship develops, there’s something sweet about it.
And I also like that Elle’s mother, Eva (June Diane Raphael), has a big role in this series. It’s through their close mother-daughter relationship that we, the viewers, also see and understand why Elle is who she is as a person. Of course, I just can’t forget to mention the love triangle story arc in this series. Elle is torn between a kind and popular jock, Miles, and a British student and activist, Dustin. I’m rooting for the latter. I think they’re cuter together, especially when they banter.
Does Prime Video’s Elle Help Strengthen the Legally Blonde Story?
The honest answer is no. If anything, Elle the prequel only makes fans of the iconic film question the narrative. Young Elle learns to fight injustice in the prequel. She even comes to a realization that she no longer feels that a life working in fashion is still the life she wants to pursue. Near the end of Season 1, we see Elle walk away from her internship with a well-known stylist to the stars. Elle Woods is a fashion major in Legally Blonde, so that actually makes it questionable. If high school Elle already walked away from fashion, why do we see her as a fashion major in the movie?
Stream It or Skip It?
My take – stream it! Prine Video’s Elle is a fun series to watch. Just don’t dwell on the fact that this is a prequel to Legally Blonde. Elle is coming back for Season 2, and I, for one, will still be watching this series.