Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When Reese Witherspoon confirmed that a Legally Blonde 3 was in the works this morning, we couldn’t contain ourselves. A Legally Blonde sequel?! In the year of our lord 2018?! We couldn’t wait to see what Elle Woods was up to now, what kind of justice she was pursuing all while fabulously decked out in pink couture. And then we remembered Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. A disappointing sequel that abandoned most of the charm of the original, Legally Blonde 2 may have been mildly enjoyable, but it was clear that it was a victim of the sequel fatigue epidemic. And it’s not the only female-fronted series that this happened to, either.
Like Legally Blonde, Bridget Jones’s Diary became something of a girl power classic upon its release, but was followed up by a lackluster second installment. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason ditched much of the original’s heart in favor of something much less appealing, and despite the cast’s best efforts, the film suffered for it. In 2016, however, a miracle happened: Bridget Jones’s Baby. Director Sharon Maguire returned to the franchise she began with much of the original cast (with the exception of one Hugh Grant, who we’re still a bit miffed at about it), and it brought back all the things we loved about Bridget Jones’s Diary. Baby is much more spiritually similar to Diary than its in-between, and Legally Blonde should follow suit.
If Bridget Jones can bounce back after a sad sequel, so can Legally Blonde. Here are 3 lessons the franchise can learn from its friend across the pond as the third film comes together.
Embrace Elle's essence.
Both Legally Blonde 2 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason suffered because they dumbed down their female leads and ditched many of their beloved character traits. Legally Blonde 3 can succeed by bringing back the Elle we all know and love, the fiery, smart, unapologetically individual who wore pink to court and took down a curly-headed murderer. Just like Bridget Jones’s Baby allowed Bridget to reach her full potential, rock a cool job, and embrace her endearing neuroses, Legally Blonde 3 should draw from the Elle we all fell in love with – not some half-drawn caricature of her.
Round up the original gang.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason lost its way for many reasons, but one of the main seems to be the shift in creative team. A director and writing team can make or break a movie, and with these kinds of comedies, tone is everything. Sharon Maguire clearly was more in tune with Bridget‘s vibe, and bringing her back for Baby resulted in a home run. (The addition of Emma Thompson as a writer probably didn’t hurt, either).
For Legally Blonde 3, director Robert Luketic should make his way back, or Witherspoon herself could step into the directing chair, since she knows Elle better than anyone. Bringing back original screenwriters Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith would help, too, since they weren’t a part of the sequel – and that was pretty obvious.
Adapt, adapt, adapt!
Legally Blonde worked because, despite some of its fairytale-like components, it was largely grounded in reality. Bridget Jones’s Diary was the same. Both their sequels went completely off the rails, seeing Elle driven by reuniting her chihuahua with his mother, and Bridget wind up in a Thai jail. These theoretically might have made for funny storylines, but they once again threw out the rules we’d come to understand during the first installments.
Bridget Jones’s Baby works because it feels like reality sprinkled with a touch of absurdity, just like the original. Bridget is a successful producer, her friend group has shifted since they all got married and started having kids, she’s still confused in her own love life, and she even goes to a MUSIC FESTIVAL. As silly as it may sound, it all tracks. Legally Blonde 3 can succeed by doing the same, and adapting to its current climate in the quirky, timeless way it did right out of the gate. Give us real people and mildly-realistic storylines and career moves in Legally Blonde 3. Adapt to the times. It’s the least we can do for Elle.
