FILM 2025: LEGALLY BLONDE

FILM 2025: LEGALLY BLONDE

TRIVIA: To prepare for her role as Elle, Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks studying the behavior of sorority girls, as she did not wish to portray a stereotypical airhead sorority image. She states on the DVD commentary that they were all very kind and polite, and she enjoyed her time with them. She also observed women shopping from the café at Neiman Marcus, and attended law school for a day.

Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Silverstone, Katherine Heigl, Christina Applegate, Milla Jovovich, and Jennifer Love Hewitt were all considered for Elle Woods.

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) wears forty different hairstyles throughout the film.

While at Stanford, source book author Amanda Brown wrote letters back home, regarding her inability to fit in with her classmates. Later she made a manuscript based on those letters and sent it to an agent, who was drawn to it because it was the only manuscript submitted written on pink paper--referenced in the film through Elle Woods scented pink résumés.

A perfect score on the LSAT exam is 180, therefore Elle's score of 179 puts her in the top 0.1 percent.

As agreed in her contract, Reese Witherspoon kept all of her costumes after filming.

When Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is studying for the LSAT with her sorority sister, Amy (Kimberly McCullough), Amy is reading off answer choices for an LSAT question. This is an actual LSAT question, which is part of the analytical reasoning section, taken from actual LSAT #31, June 2000.

On her first day, Elle comments that, "Whoever said orange is the new pink is seriously disturbed." This is a reference to Producer Marc Platt's other production, Josie and the Pussycats (2001), in which teenagers are brainwashed into thinking "orange is the new pink."

TOP FIVE BIOPICS

TOP FIVE BIOPICS

1. LA VIE EN ROSE (2007)

This biopic of Édith Piaf is equal parts beautiful and tragic, the wonderful Marion Cotillard is transformed into Piaf and transfixes you in every scene. I’m not much of a crier but I was in floods of tears by the end of this film.

2. WALK THE LINE (2005)

Before watching this film I knew little of the life of the legendary Johnny Cash, but I found it so interesting that I have since read his autobiography and bought his whole discography. The two leads in this film, (Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon) although not sounding exactly the same as Johnny and June are great and this is a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch.

3. THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)

Another film that makes me cry, the least Lynchian Lynch film, and a beautiful, hauntingly moving piece of filmmaking. This is based on the true story of a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a 'side-show freak'. I was an odd child so I actually knew a bit about John/ Joseph Merrick before I was this film but Lynch treats the story in a deeply human way.

4. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)

This is one of those ‘Life is stranger than fiction’ stories that is told in a fantastic way with great direction from Spielberg and great performances from DiCaprio, Hanks and Walken. It takes you on an unbelievable journey that seems too strange to be true.

5.  THE DISASTER ARTIST (2017)

Although this isn’t a biopic in a traditional sense, as we know absolutely nothing of the past of the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau, it’s a document of a period of his life while making the infamous movie ‘The Room’. It’s funny and surprisingly heartwarming, and James Franco plays Wiseau in a way I think not many other actors could.

FILM 1889: HOW DO YOU KNOW

FILM 1889: HOW DO YOU KNOW

TRIVIA: One of the lesser known "big box-office bombs of all time"; the budget spiraled up to one hundred twenty million dollars due to high salary demands of its principle cast and director, as well as a costly re-shoot for the beginning and the ending. Coupled with marketing costs, the movie lost an estimated one hundred five million dollars.

Jack Nicholson's and James L. Brooks' fourth film together.

Reese Witherspoon's character has a romantic relationship with Owen Wilson. Previously, Witherspoon played a character in Legally Blonde (2001), who had a romantic relationship with Luke Wilson (Owen's brother).

FILM 1680: WILD

TRIVIA: The young Cheryl is portrayed by the actual Cheryl Strayed's daughter Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom.

Jean-Marc Vallée would not let Reese Witherspoon read the instruction manual to the tent, or the stove. All of the frustration showed on screen was genuine.

Reese Witherspoon saw an advanced copy of the book in October 2011, 5 months before its release. The galley-form book was mailed personally by Cheryl Strayed herself, believing that if there is an actress who could portray her, it is Witherspoon and no one else. Witherspoon saw potential in that, immediately acquired the rights as it was a perfect launchpad for her production label. The book became much hyped when it listed as a select book for the Oprah Book Club after its release.

There is a scene where Cheryl is reading Gone Girl (an anachronism). This is because Reese Witherspoon is one of the producers of Gone Girl (2014).

Shot almost completely with natural light.

Cheryl Strayed told the Times she made efforts to locate her half-sister and half-brother over the years with no success. When her half-sister started reading Wild, she "knew just enough about me and my siblings that she put it together. She read the rest of the book and then she wrote to me. She was stunned. I was, too, and yet I always knew our paths would cross. Life is like that. There's always more, always a reveal."

BIG LITTLE LIES (2017)

TRIVIA: HBO won the rights for the series in a bidding war against Netflix.

Nicole Kidman was once engaged to Lenny Kravitz, the father of her co-star Zoë Kravitz.

After collaborating on this project, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon re-teamed to obtain the rights for an adaptation of "Truly Madly Guilty," also a novel by Liane Moriarty.

Laura Dern has previously portrayed the mother of her two co-stars Shailene Woodley and Reese Witherspoon. In this she plays a fellow mother at the primary school.

The soundtrack went #1 on iTunes' Soundtrack Chart and #2 on the Top Albums U.S. iTunes Chart. In June 2017, the soundtrack was officially released on CD, followed by a double Vinyl release in July the same year. The latter features new songs, including one by the director of the series, Jean-Marc Vallee. The soundtrack also features cast member Zoe Kravitz's first official single, a rendition of Elvis' "Don't".

FILM 1656: SWEET HOME ALABAMA

TRIVIA: This was the first movie to be allowed to shoot in New York after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In addition to being the first film allowed to film in New York after 9/11, this was also the first film to film in Tiffany's since Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).

The coon dog cemetery featured in the film is a real place in Tuscumbia, Alabama (a north Alabama town just south of Florence, as well as childhood home of Helen Keller) whose story was told in The Miracle Worker (1962).

Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas both appeared in American Psycho (2000).