Do blonde's really have more fun? Well, I don't know about that, but according to the new film Legally Blonde, it makes it a hell of lot easier to get into law school. Legally Blonde is, quite obviously, a comedy. And while it has obvious shades of Amy Heckerling's Clueless, it also seems quite reminiscent of Bob Clark's extremely underrated From the Hip.

The wonderful Reese Witherspoon is completely engaging as a spoiled but sweet sorority queen who is devastated when she's dumped by her Harvard bound boyfriend. To prove that she's more then just a dimwitted pretty face, she hits the books, hoping to get into Harvard so she can win back the heart of her ex. Naturally, Witherspoon finds a new life at the prestigious school, and even begins to win over all her skeptics.

Legally Blonde is full of charming and funny moments. Much of the time, however, the film makers ruin a perfectly good joke by beating it to death until it just isn't funny anymore. I was also bothered by how one of the film's major characters turns out to be a complete scoundrel. I felt that this was a blatant betrayal of who this character was. I understand that people might not always be what they seem, but this plot twist didn't belong in the picture. It was simply too much and interfered with the light tone of the picture.

The cast is terrific. I really enjoyed Luke Wilson as a, dare I say it, likable lawyer. I also liked Selma Blair as Witherspoon's snooty rival, and Victor Garber as a seasoned lawyer who takes Witherspoon under his wing. Quite obviously, Witherspoon is the anchor and the real reason the film works at all. In the early goings on of this picture, I was annoyed by her all too obvious take on the dumb blonde routine, but as the picture progressed, she seemed less a caricature and more a fully textured character. After showing true star power in movies like Election, she proves once and for all in Legally Blonde that she is a true talent.

It real admire what Legally Blonde does with it's main character. She's a really cute girl, but rather then making her a stuck up, rich bitch, the film makers have made her engaging and nice. She's also smarter then she seems bringing to mind Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny.

Ultimately, Legally Blonde is about not judging a book by it's cover. And although this picture doesn't always hit the comical high notes, it's likable and breezy enough to outsize America's Sweethearts, the other recent light comedy featuring an attractive cast and a lead with killer smile.