I've watched all of Prime Video Legally Blonde prequel Elle and hugely have to eat some humble pie — it's that good, Lexi Minetree might give Reese Witherspoon's legacy a run for its money | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

I've watched all of Prime Video Legally Blonde prequel Elle and hugely have to eat some humble pie — it's that good, Lexi Minetree might give Reese Witherspoon's legacy a run for its money

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Before its launch, I was Elle's biggest hater — but Prime Video's Legally Blonde prequel has blown me away. Lexi Minetree is Reese Witherspoon in a 25-year-old body, bursting with fun, heart, and genuinely hilarious high school mishaps

+More nineties and noughties cultural reference points than you'd expect

More nineties and noughties cultural reference points than you'd expect

+Ensemble cast either subverts stereotypes or roasts them

Ensemble cast either subverts stereotypes or roasts them

+June Diane Raphael remains an underrated comedy genius

June Diane Raphael remains an underrated comedy genius

-Elle's inkling for justice still doesn't make complete canonical sense

Elle's inkling for justice still doesn't make complete canonical sense

Best streaming services compared – Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video and more

The 27 best Prime Video movies to stream in June 2026

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

What, like making a prequel series is hard? I should never have doubted the power of Elle Woods, who at this point feels like the pop culture equivalent of Mother Teresa to millennials.

Since the moment that Elle was announced by Prime Video, I've been it's number one hater. I've written opinion pieces about how its existence is going to destroy the sanctity of Elle's journey at Harvard, and I've spent hours stewing over how anybody could touch the side of Reese Witherspoon's career-defining performance. If we're getting another Legally Blonde project, make it about Elle's Supreme Court Justice years... right?

But oh, how the mighty have fallen. Having now watched all eight episodes of Elle, my hater-self is metaphorically standing in a dumpster fire of her own making. As someone prepared to loathe it, take this next remark with absolute seriousness and sincerity: this series is outrageously good.

In the blink of an eye, I once again felt like my 6-year-old self when the 2001 movie first came out — enraptured, inspired and completely at ease with who I am inside. How? Well, that's just what Elle Woods does, regardless of who is playing her.

But if you'd have told me at Lexi Minetree was actually an AI version of Witherspoon in her twenties, I'd have believed you. Minetree has all of Witherspoon's mannerisms down to a tee, has perfected her voice, and wholeheartedly understands the spirit of the woman we all know and love. It is, frankly, a miracle.

But Minetree isn't the only reason for Elle's success... absolutely everybody, and almost everything, is pulling their weight.

Elle is about to put the Legally Blonde haters to shame — and most of the film's lore holds up

When Elle turns 16, she's forced to leave her Bel-Air luxury lifestyle behind for Seattle, all thanks to a plastic surgery scandal that her father is embroiled it. With her new high school in the grip of the 90s grunge scene, our favorite pink tornado is once again a fish out of water, and she has to fight to fit in.

As I've pointed out, Minetree's freakishly brilliant understanding of Elle — and how unwilling she is to deviate from Witherspoon's blueprint — spearheads the feel-good fun, but let's look at what's happening around her.

Surprisingly, Elle isn't just a nod to Legally Blonde. There are also clear references to big nineties and noughties hitters including Mean Girls, Clueless, Freaky Friday and The Breakfast Club, and the nostalgic yearning is strong. From the corded landlines to the banging soundtrack, our young adult life from this time period is fully and lovingly represented.

As willing as I initially was to write our Seattle newbies off, they're also a treat of an ensemble. Bel-Air bestie Madison (Jessica Belkin) shirks the airhead sidekick stereotype in favor of a grounded spirit and unshakable loyalty, while high school mean girl Kimberly (Chandler Kinney) is hiding a true self that is the last thing you'd expect (no spoilers here).

British boy Dustin (Zac Looker) fuels Elle's curiosity for anarchy and change, while also providing proof that she can truly extract the best out of every walk of life. A more touching shoutout goes to the enigmatic role of Dean Wilson, which marks James Van Der Beek's final acting credit before his death earlier this year.

It's no surprise that my favorite side character is Eva Woods, played by the underrated powerhouse in June Diane Raphael. You only had to briefly see this woman in Parks and Recreation or Grace and Frankie to know how much she truly understands the superficial class, which she poignantly balances with a steady heart and sense of empathy.

Sadly, Perfect Day by Hoku is nowhere to be seen

Now for the most important bit of feedback: the existing Legally Blonde lore. For the most part, I found that it adds to my love of the IP rather than takes away from it, especially when it answers some pivotal questions.

Without giving too much away, we'll find out how Elle gets Bruiser the Chihuahua (who's wardrobe is absolutely jaw-dropping, by the way), how Elle ends up back in Bel-Air in time for the events of the original movie, and how she begins to gain an interest in defending innocent people.

However, it's this last one that's a bit of a sticking point. For those of us who know the 2001 film better than we know ourselves, it's unspoken knowledge that Elle had zero interest in pursuing anything related to a law degree, but was only compelled to do so to win boyfriend Warner back.

That, in a nutshell, is the reason why Legally Blonde even exists. So the mere fact that Elle's rewritten history suggests that this inspiration came much earlier in her life doesn't completely sit with what we know of her adult life. It's clearly supposed to be a seedling for what's to come, but perhaps is a little overplayed.

Even so, I had such a good time watching Elle that I don't even care. The ebbs and flows of high school drama are deliciously played, the script is genuinely hilarious, and the overarching narrative plot is addictively compelling. I've been that engrossed that I'd even go as far as to say that it needs a second season, stat.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Jasmine is a Streaming Staff Writer for Tech Radar, previously writing for outlets including Radio Times, Yahoo! and Stylist. She specialises in comfort TV shows and movies, ranging from Hallmark's latest tearjerker to Netflix's Virgin River. She's also the person who wrote an obituary for George Cooper Sr. during Young Sheldon Season 7 and still can't watch the funeral episode.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1I've watched all of Prime Video Legally Blonde prequel Elle and hugely have to eat some humble pie — it's that good, Lexi Minetree might give Reese Witherspoon's legacy a run for its money

2 What is the release date for Marvel's X-Men 97 season 2 episodes 1 to 3 on Disney+?

3 Samsung's T9 is one of the fastest portable SSDs I've ever used — and it's at the perfect price if you're upgrading your work setup or back-to-school tech at Amazon

4 Beat Apple's price hikes with Best Buy's massive Mac Book sale — 'The best mix of winning design, near-pro-level performance, and battery life' gets a massive price drop in the 4th of July sale that business pros won't want to miss

5 Netflix subscribers are furious at the platform’s latest update — now users are required to use separate email addresses for account profiles, but some think they've found a handy workaround

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards

• I've watched all of Prime Video Legally Blonde prequel Elle and hugely have to eat some humble pie — it's that good, Lexi Minetree might give Reese Witherspoon's legacy a run for its money

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission