Elle Woods Character Analysis

SYNOPSIS

Elle Woods, the sorority president majors in fashion merchandising is really in love with her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, who will attend Harvard Law School the following year. When Warner asks her to dinner at their special place, she assumes he's going to pop the question, but instead, he dumps her saying that she is “too blonde” and not “serious” enough for his future political career. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school, Vivian Kensington, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. However, living in Harvard is not that easy for a pink blonde girl like Elle. Her classmates disapprove her because of her naiveté and the stereotype
of dumb blonde girl. The only friend Elle makes is Paulette, a divorced manicurist. Elle later helps Paulette gain custody of her dog back from her ex-husband as well as seduce the delivery man on whom she has a crush. After Vivian tricks Elle into attending a party in a costume, Elle has a discussion with Warner and realizes that he will never respect her.
Determined to succeed on her own, Elle studies hard and wins an internship with Professor Callahan, as do Warner and Vivian. They work with Callahan and an associate, attorney Emmett Richmond, to defend Brooke Taylor-Windham, a famous fitness instructor accused of murdering her much older billionaire husband, Hayworth Windham. Brooke was once Elle's fitness instructor and a member of her sorority. Chutney, Brooke’s stepdaughter and the household cabana boy say Brooke is guilty because they saw Brooke standing over Windham’s dead body. Brooke refuses to provide an alibi, but when Elle visits her in prison, she admits that she had liposuction on the day of the murder. This would ruin Brooke’s reputation as a fitness instructor so Elle promises to keep it secret and refuse to tell Callahan the alibi. Impressed by her integrity, Vivian starts to befriend Elle. The case against Brooke begins to weaken when Elle suspects that the cabana boy is gay after he correctly identifies Elle’s shoe style. In the court, Emmett tricks him into identifying his boyfriend, proving that his testimony about having an affair with Brooke was a
lie. Because of Elle’s performance, Callahan discusses Elle’s future but tries to seduce her, which Elle immediately rejects.
Vivian who overheard their conversation is disappointed because Elle was using her sexuality to gain internship. Elle also thinks that Callahan chose her for sexual reasons so that she decides to leave law school. Surprisingly, Professor Stromwell, who one sent Elle out from the class for being unprepared, helps regain Elle’s spirit. Meanwhile, Emmett explains Elle’s encounter with Callahan to Vivian and Brooke. Brooke is furious knowing that, dismissing Callahan and hiring Elle as her new attorney with Emmet supervising. Firstly, Elle shakily cross-examining Chutney, but then when Chutney told her she was getting her hair permed that day, Elle gets Chutney reconfirming her story. Then she reveals that permed hair should not be washed within the first 24 hours as it would deactivate the ammonium thioglycolate. Exposed, Chutney admits killing Hayworth accidentally because she thought he was Brooke, whom she hates for marrying her father because she was Chutney’s age. Elle won the case and Warner tries to reconcile with her, but she rejects
him. Two years later, Elle has graduated with honors, chosen as the class-elected speaker at the ceremony and has been invited into one of Boston’s best law firms. Vivian is now Elle’s best friend and has called of her engagement with Warner, who graduated without honors, no girlfriend, and no job offers; Paulette has married her delivery man and is expecting a baby girl to be named after Elle; and finally, Emmett has started his own practice, is now Elle's boyfriend, and will propose to her that night.