"Elle" Season 1 - Review

While there are some enjoyable aspects to Elle [...] the series ultimately falls flat.

Written by Mariane Tremblay

Like many, I love Legally Blonde (2001). Not only did the movie have a huge impact on pop culture over the last 25 years, but it also inspired generations of female lawyers. Gen X had Erin Brockovich; Millennials and Gen Z had Elle Woods. 

Elle Woods is one of the most iconic female characters ever put on screen; you can’t tell me otherwise. She’s the ultimate girl boss and proof that women can achieve anything. All while wearing pink and high heels. And on top of that, she’s genuinely the best friend you could possibly have — I’m pretty sure she invented girlhood. So when the series prequel was announced, I was incredibly thrilled. 

Before Elle Woods was a fish-out-of-water at Harvard, we meet her in 1995 as a fish in the tumultuous waters of high school, where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices. Along the way, Elle learns how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations, stoking a curiosity that helps her unravel a mystery that touches all aspects of her life, including her family, ultimately igniting a lifelong passion for justice.

Portraying such an iconic character who’s been on our screens for two decades must be a daunting challenge, but Lexi Minetree succeeds brilliantly. Not only does she resemble Reese Witherspoon a lot, but she perfectly embodies Elle Woods, effortlessly capturing Witherspoon's mannerisms and voice — it's actually uncanny. The first time she started crying with her hand in front of her face, I knew she would make the perfect teenage version of Elle. 

The characters and some of their development are probably the most compelling aspects of the series, but at the same time, they're also what makes Elle feel more like a standalone coming-of-age series than the prequel to the Legally Blonde franchise it's supposed to be. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed Elle's character development. My issue is that it doesn’t feel consistent with where Elle is at the beginning of Legally Blonde, which ultimately makes the series feel slightly odd. In Elle, she already seems to be evolving into the version of the character we meet by the end of the first film. She gradually distances herself from the Los Angeles lifestyle and the world of fashion, ultimately choosing Seattle over the life she has always known. But that shift doesn’t quite align with the Elle we’re introduced to in Legally Blonde: the Elle who is president of her sorority and studying fashion at California University.

The original film is built around this very specific transformation arc as Elle initially goes to law school to be taken seriously and win back her ex-boyfriend, but it’s through her first year that she genuinely discovers her passion for law and justice. In that sense, her growth feels earned and central to the story. In the series, however, it feels like she reaches a similar emotional endpoint, which would be too early. It’s as if she had already completed that arc before the events of the film, and then, in a way, ends up going back to square one and retracing similar ground. 

Elle’s journey in the series is not bad in theory; it just doesn’t align with the character and feels extremely repetitive. 

But Minetree’s Elle isn’t the only character audiences will love in the series. June Diane Raphael, who portrays Eva Woods, is an absolute delight. She’s delivering some of the best — and most memorable — lines from the show, with the impeccable comedic timing we’ve known her for. However, Eva is much more than [the only] comedic relief. As she struggles to figure out who she is outside of being a socialite and Wyatt Woods’ wife, her journey genuinely becomes one of the most compelling storylines — and sometimes the most compelling of the show. 

And although there are plenty of other characters in the show, I feel like none of them are particularly interesting and compelling, or maybe it’s because they’re just poorly written, not allowing audiences to know them and fully connect with them. 

While there are some enjoyable aspects to Elle, with a handful of sweet, endearing, and genuinely fun moments throughout its eight episodes, or some characters we grow fond of, the series ultimately falls flat. Its predictable storytelling and heavy reliance on overly familiar tropes make it difficult to stay fully invested because we all know how it's gonna end. I do understand the vision and what Reese Witherspoon wanted to do following the success of Netflix's Wednesday, and their desire, at Hello Sunshine, to make teenagers realize that they should be who they really want to be and that they shouldn't apologize for that, but the execution simply doesn't land as it should. And sadly, none of the positive elements are enough to make the series stand out. Elle never comes close to reaching the level of Legally Blonde, making it a major disappointment to me. And that's without even mentioning the lack of a convincing 1990s aesthetic.

I don't know if it's because the '90s are making a comeback, but it's surprisingly easy to forget that the series is set in that decade. There are only a few elements that make it feel like a story taking place 30 years ago, such as the cars, computers, and phones. But beyond that, there isn't much to reinforce the setting, which constantly pulls you out of the series.

All in all, even if the series doesn’t fully land or align with the movies, Legally Blonde fans might still find some things to enjoy in this series: there are plenty of little nods to the first movies, such as the opening of the show, the fashion, some lines, episodes names and underlying themes, offering a bit of nostalgia to those who have been watching the movies for years. 

All 8 episodes of Elle will be streaming on Prime Video tomorrow. 

Photos and [pink] synopsis from Prime Video