Accidental Aesop: Be nice to your clients. They may eventually get tired of your bullshit and replace you, even if you claim to be the best lawyer in existence. Brooke is already annoyed with Callahan's assumption that she is a ditzy blond who married Mr. Wyndham for his money, but when she learns he sexually harassed Elle, she fires him and replaces him with her.
Adaptation Displacement: Yes, this was a book first (with said book being based on the author's own experiences at law school).
Angst? What Angst?: Brooke is framed for murder, loses a husband whom she truly loves, and has to spend months in jail with her lawyer advising her to plead guilty unless she has an alibi. She does, but refuses to give it up because it would ruin her reputation as an aerobics instructor. Then Elle proves that Chutney not only killed Mr. Wyndham, but was waiting to shoot Brooke for the crime of being her stepmother and her age. All Brooke does is give a Big "OMG!" with a smile and tells the press that Elle is brilliant. The stage musical averts this, where she is horrified at the thought that her stepdaughter wanted her dead.
Ass Pull: Legally Blondes is full of this in its relation to the original two films. But the most glaring example is when Elle (off-screen) somehow manages to find two identical twin nephews of Bruiser's just like that when in the second film, she had to go through significant trouble just to find his mother.
Awesome Music: "Perfect Day" by Hoku—another undeniable bop she's put out along with "Another Dumb Blonde" from Snow Day—is essentially the movie's theme song and many either immediately think of the movie when they hear it or vice versa.
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The second film has the scene where Elle discovers Bruiser's mother being tested on. She angrily knocks on the door and a man tells her he can't let her in since he doesn't have the key - because he swallowed the key once and it became an Once Done, Never Forgotten moment for him. It's random, insignificant and is never referenced again.
Diagnosed by the Audience: Elle's commitment to her social strategies and her intensity regarding the things she cares about has lead some to believe that she is not neurotypical.
Ensemble Dark Horse: David, Elle's shy, quiet friend at Harvard who is nothing but supportive and kind to her during her time in Law school. When taking down Callahan during the trial, he is shown to have been working with her, with him reading Callahan the ruling that says Elle can legally represent Brooke.
Fanon Discontinuity: The Legally Blondes spin-off, and for some the second film. The feminist message of the first goes from downplayed to non-existent and they're much less funny to most fans.
Genius Bonus: The way Callahan treats young, beautiful, female law students (the only man he interns has family connections, and why would you want first-year interns for your high-stakes murder trial if you're going to treat them with the casual disrespect he treats Elle?) might be uncomfortably familiar to many lawyers, to the point that his Face–Heel Turn seems almost telegraphed.
Harsher in Hindsight: Callahan hitting on Elle in the third act is especially harsh once Reese Witherspoon was one of the first women to come forward about sexual abuse in 2017.
Reese Witherspoon originally swore off doing sequels after her experiences making Legally Blonde 2. She has since gone back on this by reprising her role as Rosita in the sequel to the 2016 animated movie Sing. On top of that, there are talks that she plans to star in Legally Blonde 3, the plot of which involves Elle running for U.S. president.
Vivian. She's played by Selma Blair (although the short hair, tacky formal clothes and snobby attitude don’t do her any favours).
Warner's brother's fiancée. She looked perfectly normal, but the old lady at the salon described her as "practically deformed".
Paulette gives a speech about how she's completely unattractive. While I Am Not Pretty justifies some of it, it is hard to take coming from an actress who was the defining example of "MILF" in the 90s when Legally Blonde came out in 2001, her previous character was likely still on the public’s mind. In fairness, Paulette does have pretty low self-esteem, and her ex does verbally abuse her and insult her looks, so this may well be the Intended Audience Reaction.
Jerkass Woobie: Chutney. While it's inexcusable that she attempted murder on Brooke and accidentally ended up killing her father in the process, it's understandable why she would be upset over the fact that her father (presumably) dumped her mother to marry Brooke, a woman the same age as herself. Anybody who’s had to face a similar divorce dilemma in their life might feel some sympathy for Chutney.
Les Yay: Elle and Vivian eventually hitting it off and bonding with one another, becoming best friends by the end of the film. And the two having more on-screen chemistry with one another than with Warner and Emmett respectively.
Memetic Badass: Elle has a reputation in fanwork as a master lawyer, who could win any case and possibly give Phoenix Wright a run for his money.
Memetic Mutation: Elle's "What, like it's hard?" has taken off as a response to (imagined) surprise over an accomplishment, implying scorn toward those who are surprised or didn't think it was possible.
Ron the Death Eater: Some assume that Brooke was actually conning people with her workouts, missing the part in the film where Elle says her exercises actually work. Elle herself went from a size 6 to a 4, and enjoyed her classes with Brooke. Likely Brooke's liposuction was brought on by paranoia at being married to a man who had a history of trading in at least one wife for a younger one.
Sequelitis: The sequels are generally agreed to be far inferior to the original film.
Warner led Elle on for months rather than being upfront about ending their relationship. To add insult to injury, he took her out to dinner to a fancy restaurant and got her hopes up for a proposal rather than breaking up with her privately. But - it is totally reasonable to end things with someone because you don't see them as compatible with your long-term goals. And while it's obviously unfair to judge Elle's intelligence based on her appearance and personality, Warner isn't wrong either in pointing out that she doesn't project the kind of image people associate with the wife of a statesman, which could hamper his career. A fashion major of all people should understand the importance of presenting the right face to the world.
Vivian rejecting Elle from the study group was supposed to be a Kick the Dog moment. But at that point, Elle was only at Harvard to get Warner back, she didn't do the required reading, and she only wanted to be in the study group to be around Warner, who she was actively trying to steal away from Vivian. Every one of those things was a perfectly valid reason for Vivian to not want Elle in the study group.
Some viewers find Brooke to be this, viewing her use of cosmetic surgery to be a bit unethical given her image. Brooke’s fitness DVDs claim that her workouts cause weight loss, yet Brooke herself is getting liposuction. You could argue Brooke’s trying to make her fitness DVD sell for high profit by making it look like her workouts do more than they actually can do. Discussed In-Universe when Emmett points out Brooke's made her career "telling women they're fat", though Elle defends she would never actually call someone fat. She also objectifies the pool boy by requiring him to wear a thong as his uniform so she can watch him clean the filter (though this is downplayed by him lying to get her put away for murder).
Elle herself in the first sequel. She essentially throws away her job at an established practice, all because her dog's mother can't come to her wedding.
The brief mention that Elle's friend Margot only passed her Spanish class by doing a lap dance for her teacher can disturb post-#MeToo viewers and it wouldn't be put in the movie if it were filmed today.
Viewers in a post-Kardashian world might be surprised that fitness experts in 2001 would want to make their butts smaller.
Paulette uses the word ‘retard’ while giving Elle a pep-talk, and the latter is completely unfazed. Nowadays, the word is considered a slur towards people with disabilities.
Callahan hitting on Elle has gained far more relevance since the #MeToo movement has exposed the level of harassment and abuse women receive from wealthy and powerful men.
The amount of ridicule, condescension, and abuse Elle gets from both men and many so-called feminists just for being a pretty blonde girl has gained relevance as many film studios have promoted the troubling idea that being feminine is somehow a weakness.
More like "Alternate Staging Interpretation". In the Broadway production, during the song "Legally Blonde" Elle sings the first half in the court room before returning to her room, where Emmett is waiting for her. Elle tells Emmett she's leaving and goes into her room. Emmett, out of earshot, realizes he's in love with Elle and then begins begging for her to stay from the other side of the door (this can be seen in the Broadway recording). In productions after that, the song never leaves the courtroom and so Emmett tells Elle face to face that he's in love with her which causes Elle to run away. The change probably happened in order to cut down on costs and an unnecessary scene change and aside from a couple of Emmett's lines the song stays the same. However, Elle hearing the confession completely changes their dynamic for the rest of the show and also changes the moment from a Love Epiphany to an Anguished Declaration of Love.
The conclusion of Warner's story can be played in two different ways. It can either be seen as a happy end, with him embracing his new job as a model, or it can go like the movie version, with him being upset about his lack of success in a law career. Of course, the fact that he shows up at the graduation even though he's not joining her and his fellow former peers can be seen as him learning humility and taking a level in kindness. Additionally, he can be seen as taking Elle's rejection well, or getting upset about it.
Elle and the Delta Nu girls somehow manage to show up at the Harvard Admissions office just as they are looking over Elle's application so she can do her personal essay dance live for them. This was meant to replace the video essay from the film in a way that worked for the stage, but manages to make even less sense.
The Greek Chorus, which is portrayed throughout the show as just a reflection of Elle's own thoughts, is suddenly visible to Paulette for one scene just so the girls can teach Paulette how to "Bend and Snap." The absurdity is of course lampshaded.
Serena: When your "bend and snap" has that much snap, it's been known to alter all laws of physics and logic.
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: In the Triumphant Reprise of the titular song, there's a random moment in which everyone river dances over an instrumental version of Paulette's song, "Ireland". Granted, it does help wrap up Paulette's arc by showing that she finally got an Irish dreamboat in the form of Kyle, being a sweet and hilarious moment for the two of them. Still, it does kind of come out of nowhere.
Catharsis Factor: After acting like a complete and total Slimeball and undoubtedly crossing the Moral Event Horizon, seeing Callahan get fired in favor of the very woman he assaulted is quite satisfying. Icing on the cake is when his abused employee Emmett shuts down his attempt to stop Elle, followed by Brooke no selling his attempt to get in the last word. Adding onto all of this is when Paulette informs the audience in the finale that Callahan not only failed in a bid for governor, but Emmett was hired by his wife to handle their divorce.
Crosses the Line Twice: The song "There! Right There!" also known as "Gay or European?". The sheer number of stereotypes and the speed at which they're doled out is so ridiculous and funny that it's hard to find the number offensive at all. Helps that it also has an overall message of acceptance going on as well.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Kyle only appears in the second act and doesn’t get to sing a note, but he’s a huge fan favorite for his status as a Cold Ham and Mr. Fanservice, not to mention his endearing relationship with Paulette. In fact, outside of the three main characters, he's probably the most popular role in the show.
Both Nikos and Carlos are quite popular despite being limited to one scene. This is due to their hilarious Camp Gay attitudes, while also being a heartwarming couple in their own right. The fact that they're at the center of one of the show's most popular numbers only helps.
Harsher in Hindsight: In-universe, the entirety of "So Much Better" becomes this when it emerges that Callahan only chose Elle as an intern because of her looks.
The fake legal case discussed during "Chip On My Shoulder" was turned into a (satirical) bill in a state legislature.
Seeing Michael Rupert (Professor Callahan) and Christian Borle (Emmett) playing opposite each other becomes this when, nearly ten years after Legally Blonde opened, Borle was cast as Marvin in a revival of Falsettos, a role which Rupert originated. Especially since they both sing in the "Gay or European" number.
Callahan's "But I don't speak MTV" line making fun of Brooke in "Whipped Into Shape" became funnier when the show was actually filmed for MTV. In the recording, the audience roared louder than usual at that lyric.
The supposedly plain Vivienne was played on Broadway by Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle. Granted, it's less that Vivienne is called out for unattractive, and more that her haircut and clothes aren't doing her favors (notably, when Elle is describing her to Paulette, her comments focus on her personality, such as "evil preppie" and "constipated polo shirt," with the only real dig at her looks being about her haircut being a "mousy brown bob.") She was able to attract Warner after all.
Emmett is a nice Subversion. While not the most conventionally handsome man around, Christian Borle is still a good looking guy, even when he's made to look unfashionable. However, Elle still comes across as attracted to him even before The Glasses Come Off, and once she gets him to clean up, he winds up attracting quite a few characters. So ultimately, Emmett's problem wasn't that he was bad looking, it's just that he needed to up his fashion game.
Much like Emmett, Paulette serves as another Subversion. While her fashion sense is rather eccentric, Orfeh's very far from Dewey's description of her. However, once Paulette ups her self esteem, she becomes a bonafide Dude Magnet, and winds up getting together with the similarly sought afterKyle. So in the end, Paulette is deemed as a very attractive character in universe, it's just that she let her personal perception of herself be clouded by one Jerkass who would rather verbally abuse her than admit to any kind of attraction between the two.
Elle no longer impersonates a lawyer to get Paulette's dog back. Emmett, an actual lawyer, is there to back her up and she merely claims they're a legal team.
Instead of knowledge about shoes, Nikos is shown to be gay (and not straight or presumably bi) because he does not react to the Bend and Snap which has all the straight guys (and Enid) looking. There's also a lyric from his boyfriend assuring he "never swings the other way" - fixing the No Bisexuals attitudes of the film.
Some found Brooke's alibi she confessed to Elle in the movie (she wasn't around when her husband was killed because she was getting cosmetic surgery) to be rather unrealistic, since liposuction was a serious enough procedure that there should have been evidence at the time (stitches, bandages, bruising, surgical wounds) that would have been spotted easily by anybody investigating and exonerated her. When she confesses to Elle in the musical, she described the procedure she got as a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure, which implies it would be easier to hide.
Emmett also has a much larger role in the musical, and his and Elle's relationship gets a lot more development. It's much more believable that they're close friends and fall in love eventually.
Hinted at between Elle and Vivienne in the salon, when Vivienne is incredibly supportive of Elle. Also, Brooke and Elle are rather touchy-feely with each other...
In the touring production, at the end of the dance break in Positive, Margot has her hand on one of Elle's boobs.
Likewise in the London production, albeit it's Serena rather than Margot who's fondling Elle during the freeze. Clearly they're all at it.
LGBT Fanbase: Between "Whipped Into Shape," the "bend and snap," and the character of Enid, this is a really good show for lesbians. Or straight men. Or the bisexuals. Especially the bisexuals. "Gay or European" helps make it a good show for gay men as well.
Memetic Mutation: It's becoming increasingly popular on YouTube to make characters from other franchises sing There! Right There! about one of their own (eg Jack Morrison of Overwatch).
A somewhat downplayed example but the line "Courtney, take your break!" sung by a One-Scene Wonder character in the opening number has gained a fairly bizarre reputation in the musical theatre community as perhaps the single most memorable line in the entire show (possibly due to the sheer number of Large Ham performances of it).
Enid is a bit of a lesbian stereotype, as well as an Affectionate Parody of the Straw Feminist (in contrast to the more realistic Elle and Vivienne). Despite this, many feminist audiences (gay and otherwise) like the character, appreciating her toughness, her ambition, and how matter-of-factly her sexuality is displayed. The fact that she's funny and her portrayal isn't at all mean-sprited definitely helps.
Aditionally, many gay audience members love Nikos and Carlos thanks to their being so over the top hysterical and ultimately portraying their relationship positively.
Europeans in general enjoy the "Gay or European" musical number. Downplayed Trope, since Europe is a continent with countless different cultures, so no one really considers "European" to be their primary identity, and most European nations are either too powerful to be bothered by something minor like a musical number, or have more important things to worry about.
Moral Event Horizon: Callahan crosses it when he sexually harasses Elle, and then fires her for refusing him.
Narm Charm: The whole show is extremely over the top and can more than border on sappy. But much like the original movie, it also has a lot of heart and wit which has earned it many fans.
Refrain from Assuming: The song everyone knows (and the score actually lists) as "Gay or European?" has the official title of "There! Right There!" in the theatre program and the cast album, so as not to give away the joke in advance.
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Enid is not well-liked in the original film, as she's an annoying Straw Feminist who's mean to Elle and David for no apparent reason. But her portrayal in the musical is more positive, and she has a substantial fan base as a result.
Annaleigh Ashford, who has since starred in Kinky Boots, Masters of Sex, and American Crime Story, has a relatively supporting role in the original cast as Margot the sorority sister.
Andy Karl (Grandmaster Chad/Dewey/Kyle in the original cast) would go on to star in the musical adaptation of Groundhog Day, making headlines for getting injured during a Broadway preview performance, finishing that performance on a walking stick, and playing the Broadway opening night three days later despite still being injured.
Leslie Kritzer, later known for playing Delia in Beetlejuice, played Serena the sorority sister in the original cast. note She had already left the production by the time the MTV proshot was filmed.
Strawman Has a Point: The things that ping everone's gaydar about Nikos — effeminacy, not responding to the bend and snap — do not meet the standards for legal evidence.
Super Couple: Many people love Elle and Emmett together thanks to their adorable chemistry and both greatly helping each other overcome their individual problems. The musical version is widely seen as a better love story than the original movie's.
Vivienne is the only main character who doesn't get her own solo number. She does get some time to shine in "Gay or European" and leads the beginning of "Legally Blonde Remix", but then Elle and later Paulette and Kyle steal that number away from her. Granted, this makes sense, as while it's good for Vivienne to get a moment helping Elle out of her Heroic BSoD, the moment should belong primarily to Elle. And as for Paulette, being the tritagonist of the show, it's arguably better to give more time to let her close out her arc while also giving the non singing role of Kyle some musical time. And after having her moment stolen from her, Vivienne does get to take it back by closing out the song with an enormous high note. And while it's a shame Vivienne never gets her own number, not having one makes her awesome high belt look even cooler, as most audience members won't be expecting such a moment for a character who hasn't sung that much since then.
Fan favorite Kyle never gets to sing a note throughout the show. Of course, it makes sense since he's only around for the second half, and having him sing might ruin his whole porn star delivery. And this is Downplayed since he still gets to lead a big dance with Paulette, offering him so musical time. Additionally, the original Broadway version and several other productions have Kyle's actor double as Grandmaster Chad (and Dewey), who has a whole rap verse during "What You Want", allowing the actor to get in on some lyrical fun.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: There are actually two versions of "Ireland" floating around - one that's used normally, and one that was written specifically for English productions, though some American productions still use it. Fans of the original lyrics (or those that just heard the original first) find the difference quite jarring, and don't like it much.
Tough Act to Follow: One reason the original Broadway production didn't have a longer run is that the producers couldn't find an established actress willing to take over the extremely difficult lead role (Elle is onstage for almost the entire evening) from Laura Bell Bundy. One of the producers recalled that whenever they brought a potential replacement in to watch the show, they turned it down because the role was too demanding. Finally they cast an unknown through a reality show on MTV, but despite the publicity boost, the show only ran a few more months.
Values Dissonance: Serena calling Margot a slut for finding Warner hot after his breakup with Elle would not be treated so lightly now, though Margot immediately calls her a Hypocrite for this in the show itself.
Paulette. Abusive ex-boyfriend who she wasted a decade with? Check. Cripplingly low self-esteem stemming from said abuse? Check. Dreams of a better life that she's convinced she'll never have? Check. Thankfully, things turn around for her. She gets a new best friend, a loving husband, a chance to steal back her dog from that bastard ex, and she ends things having started her own successful company and having had two kids and one more on the way.
Emmett also applies given his poor background, having to see a bunch of jerks being with his mother, and overworking himself to the point of sleep deprivation. Especially pitiable is when he realizes how much he loves Elle when he thinks he's lost her. Much like Paulette, Elle helps change his life. He ends things now being a Chick Magnet thanks to his new fashion sense, he's far more confident than before, he's now a highly successful lawyer, and most importantly, he's fallen in love with Elle and they're getting married.
Despite being madly in love with Warner at the start of the show, he dumps Elle purely because being with her makes him look bad, sending her into a depressed state for over a week. Then when she tries to win him back, she undergoes judgement from everyone at Harvard except for Emmett, and is forced to see Warner propose to Vivienne, who's a bigger Jerkass to her than anyone else. And then, after everything's been going well for her, Callahan sexually harasses her and it becomes clear that Elle was only given her internship because he wanted to sleep with her and not because of her legitimate skill and intellect. This moment breaks Elle and almost causes her to leave Harvard. Luckily, she gets back on her feet once more, screws over Callahan, proves that she's an excellent lawyer, rejects Warner, becomes valedictorian, and proposes to a similarly successful Emmett.
What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: They made a Legally Blonde theatre adaptation for children. No, really. Then again, the adaptation specifically removes most of the things that make the original inappropriate for children.
which is Elle's namesake.