| Director | Robert Luketic |
|---|---|
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $142 million |
California University of Los Angeles sorority president Elle Woods is taken to a restaurant by her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. She expects a proposal, but he breaks up with her instead. Intending to become a successful senator, he believes Elle is not "serious" enough for that life. He tells her that his family has five generations of U.S. Senators and that his brother, a student at Yale Law School, is engaged to a woman from the Vanderbilt family.
Elle assumes she can win Warner back by achieving the same things. After months of studying, Elle scores a near-perfect 179 on the LSAT. With that and her 4.0 GPA, she is accepted to Harvard Law School, which Warner will also attend.
During the first semester, Elle discovers that her personality completely contrasts with those of her distrusting East Coast classmates. Elle learns of Warner's engagement to his previous girlfriend, Vivian Kensington, and befriends local manicurist Paulette Bonafonté. Later, as Elle tells Warner she intends to apply for one of her professor's internships, he says she is not smart enough. Realizing that Warner will neither take her back nor take her seriously, Elle determines to demonstrate her understanding of the subject.
The following semester, Harvard's most respected teacher, Aaron Callahan, hires some first-year interns, including Elle, Warner, and Vivian, to assist in a high-profile case. It involves prominent fitness instructor Brooke Windham, one of Elle's role models and a fellow alumna of her sorority. Accused of murdering her husband, Brooke is unwilling to publicly reveal her alibi.
However, Brooke tells Elle in confidence she was secretly having liposuction at the time, which Elle promises not to disclose. Vivian gains new respect for Elle when she refuses to betray Brooke and divulge the alibi to Callahan. Emmett Richmond, Callahan's junior partner, recognizes Elle's potential.
Callahan attempts to seduce Elle, who assumes that is why he recruited her. She briefly quits in disgust and tells Emmett what happened. After learning of Callahan's behavior, Brooke replaces him with Elle under Emmett's guidance, as law students may act in court under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
While cross-examining Brooke's stepdaughter Chutney, Elle eventually discovers a significant inconsistency in her story: Chutney testified she was home during her father's murder but did not hear the gunshot because she was in the shower after getting her hair permed that morning. Elle explains washing permed hair within the first 24 hours would deactivate the ammonium thioglycolate, pointing out Chutney's curls are still intact. Chutney admits her frustration at having a stepmother her own age, inadvertently confessing she shot her father after mistaking him for Brooke.
With Brooke exonerated, the media hail Elle's involvement. Warner asks Elle to take him back since she has proven herself, but she rejects him, realizing he is shallow and a "complete bonehead". However, she and Vivian become best friends, especially after Vivian dumps Warner. Elle gives the graduation speech two years later, while Warner graduates with no honors, job offers, or girlfriend. Emmett has started his law firm, with plans to propose to Elle later that night.