‘Elle’ Review: A Charming Prequel to ‘Legally Blonde’ That Makes Absolutely No Prequel Sense

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, if you look at Elle Woods as a singular character within a cohesive timeline, Amazon Prime’s new prequel series, Elle, defies all narrative logic.

The entire premise of the original Legally Blonde film relied on the fact that this California girl entered Harvard Law School with absolutely no concept of life beyond boys, fashion, and sorority houses. Therefore, the series’ claim that she spent her formative teenage years surrounded by grunge rockers and social activists in a rainy Seattle is a character contradiction so profound that believing it requires assuming she later suffered from complete amnesia!

However, if you look at Elle Woods as a franchise and a reinventable intellectual property (IP)—much like James Bond or Superman—this series makes perfect sense from a commercial standpoint, even if it still stumbles creatively. While the new series is an entertaining and endearing watch, it remains miles away from catching the lightning-in-a-bottle charm of its cinematic predecessor.

The Bel-Air Princess Clashes with Seattle’s Grunge Scene

Set in 1995, the narrative follows Elle Woods (played by Lexie Underwood) as a pampered, sheltered Los Angeles princess on the cusp of entering her junior year of high school. This specific era and setting initially cause her to resemble Cher Horowitz from Clueless more than the original Elle Woods. She has it all: an affectionate father, a doting mother, a sprawling Bel-Air mansion, and a meticulous blueprint for conquering the school’s social hierarchy.

However, on the night of her 16th birthday, her world is upended when her family is forced to relocate to Seattle. Suddenly, all the traits that secured her popularity in Los Angeles—her bubbly disposition, high energy, and signature Barbie-pink wardrobe—become objects of mockery in a school where students exclusively sport muted grey grunge layers and black Dr. Martens boots.

While the show’s portrayal of 1990s Seattle leans heavily into exaggerated clichés, the series’ ironic tone and a nostalgic soundtrack featuring bands like Radiohead, Soundgarden, and Garbage keep these tropes from becoming irritating.

A Breakout Performance by Lexie Underwood

The series’ crowning achievement is the spectacular performance of Lexie Underwood, who channels Reese Witherspoon’s original portrayal with uncanny precision. Underwood’s physical mannerisms and comedic timing echo Witherspoon beautifully. She mirrors Elle Woods’ precise vocal inflections, expressive gestures, and behavioral nuances with miniature, endearing accuracy, leaving audiences wishing she had been granted the narrative freedom to carve out a more independent dimension for the character.

Character Evaluation Matrix

Production Note: The series features one of the final performances of the late James Van Der Beek, who portrays a local politician involved in the maternal subplot, and the production honors his memory beautifully.

Conclusion and Heavy-Handed Easter Eggs

To its credit, the show doesn’t completely suffocate the audience in nostalgic Easter eggs; the appearance of her iconic Chihuahua, Bruiser, is a delightful touch. However, certain lines of dialogue—such as “Hey Elle, have you ever thought about becoming a lawyer one day?”—come across as far too heavy-handed and preachy.

Ultimately, Elle finds itself suspended in limbo, mirroring its protagonist. It hovers awkwardly between the show it thinks it wants to be (a faithful prequel) and the show it actually has the potential to become: a thoroughly entertaining, standalone 1990s teen drama.