LEGALLY BLONDE Beat Sheet Screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith Based on the book by Amanda

Brown Opening Image: It's a "Perfect Da " on Sororit !ow at fa"led C#LA$ an LA%
"ased colle&e$ as the &irls of Delta 'u si&n a card for President and (omecomin& )ueen *lle +oods ,!eese +ithers-oon.$ wishin& her luc/0 (er "eau's -ro-osin& toni&ht1

Theme Stated: Sho--in& for an outfit$ !eese and "osom "uddies Mar&ot 2essica
Cauffiel. and Serena ,Alanna #"ach. are almost tric/ed " the cler/0 "3here's nothin& I li/e "etter than a dum" "londe with dadd 's credit card$" the counter ma4en sa s0 But !eese -ro4es she /nows more a"out the merchandise than the sales lad and outsmarts her0 Bein& discriminated a&ainst for "ein& "londe is the film's thematic hurdle$ esta"lished here0

Set-Up: 3he (ar4ard Law School%"ound +arner ,Matthew Da4is. turns u- for their date0
At Minute 5$ he sur-rises !eese " dum-in& her0 "If I'm &onna "e a senator " the time I'm thirt $" he sa s0 "I need to marr a 2ac/ie not a Maril n0" 3his 4ariation on the "Sa4e the Cat" scene is called Kill the Cat$ and wor/s e6actl the same wa 7 #ntil this moment$ we thin/ !eese is a tad -lastic$ "ut after seein& her smooshed$ we feel for her0 8rom this -oint forward$ we'll root for her to &et whate4er she wants0

Catalyst: Mo-in& at Minute 9:$ !eese &oes to a "eaut salon with her -als and &ets
new info7 (er almost%fiance's "rother is en&a&ed to a &irl in law school0 That's what !eese needs to win her "eau "ac/1 B "ein& more serious$ ma "e he'll marr her1

De ate: Can she &et into law school; As !eese's counselor tells her7 "(ar4ard won't "e im-ressed that ou aced (istor of Pol/a Dots0" 8ashion%ma<or !eese "e&ins to stud for the LSA3s$ eschews =ree/ +ee/$ does a se6 4ideo "directed " a Co--ola$" and &ets a--ro4ed " an all%male (ar4ard Law admissions staff0 B!ea" int# T$#: At Minute :>$ a -in/%clad !eese arri4es on dr
land$ a fish totall out of water$ alon& with Chihuahua Bruiser +oods and a Be/ins truc/ in tow0 (er &oal is still &ettin& a rin& on her fin&er$ so she's shoc/ed to disco4er her e6 is en&a&ed to ?i4ian Kensin&ton ,Selma Blair.0 She's e4en more shoc/ed when the un% welcomin& Selma &ets her /ic/ed out of a class tau&ht " the tou&h$ Paper Chase-y Professor Stromwell ,(olland 3a lor.0

B St#!y: 3win B stories as !eese meets *mmett !ichmond ,Lu/e +ilson.$ a seasoned
law &rad0 But her &uidin& s-irit is Paulette Bonafonte ,2ennifer Coolid&e.$ the " funho use %mirror" twist on her sororit sisters$ who has also "een dum-ed " her e60 Both Lu/e and 2ennifer will &i4e !eese the -ush into Act 3hree she needs0

%&n and Games: !eese "rin&s the -in/ to law school @ and is re<ected " the
"rown and &ra %toned students who don't &et her0 (er attem-ts to "lend in " dressin& conser4ati4el $ "rin&in& muffins to a stud &rou-$ and usin& her C#LA sororit %row wa s in (ar4ard Aard are the cru6 of the "-romise of the -remise0"

'idp#int: At Minute B:$ we reach a turnin& -oint when !eese is tric/ed " Selma$ who
in4ites her to what she thin/s is a costume -art 0 !eese shows u- dressed in a Pla "o "unn outfit$ and after runnin& into her e6$ is told she should &i4e u- her chase of him and law school0 3hat e6chan&e mar/s the end of one -art of !eese's <ourne and the "e&innin& of another$ as !eese decides to redou"le her efforts as a student0 A determined !eese$ still ala Bunn $ is ne6t seen in line at the student "oo/store " Lu/e ,as A and B stories cross.0 In her re"ound rise$ !eese and 2enni fer reclaim 2ennifer's do& from her e6%lo4er ,a second A and B cross.0 3here's e4en a nice 83 moment as !eese dons &lasses ,her fool's dis&uise.$ so she can -ose as 2ennifer's attorne 0 As Selma ,the Insider. watches in fear$ !eese

im-resses Professor Callahan ,?ictor =ar"er. and -resents him with a -in/ and scented resume0 8inall !eese is chosen alon& with her e6 and Selma to wor/ on a "i& case with ?ictor$ who's a -racticin& attorne 0 Bad G&ys Cl#se In: 3he "sta/es are raised" as !eese enters the world of the law
firm0 Cne of her Delta 'u sisters$ Broo/e 3a lor ,Ali Larter.$ is char&ed with murderD Lu/e is re4ealed as ?ictor's ri&ht hand manD and the -ressure mounts for !eese to -erform0 +hile !eese coaches 2ennifer in the art of wooin& the salon's #PS Man and teaches her the ""end and sna-" routine ,that I still wish someone would e6-lain to me.$ the case continues @ and it loo/s "ad for Broo/e0 !eese &ets Broo/e to re4eal her ali"i in -ri4ate$ "ut their sororit sister's code -re4ents !eese from tellin& an one else0 3his honora"le act shows Selma that !eese has character0 !eese and Lu/e &o to a s-a to see the murdered man's e6%wife ,!aEuel +elch.0 Cn the wa $ !eese re-eats the theme7 "I'm discriminated a&ainst as a "londe0"

All Is L#st: After !eese shines in court$ the lecherous ?ictor calls her into his office
and ma/es a -ass0 De4astated$ !eese lea4es as Selma accuses her of slee-in& with the -rofessor to &et ahead0 !eese realizes she will ne4er "e a--reciated for her "rain0

Da!" Night #( the S#&l: !eese tells Lu/e &ood" e$ and -ac/s0 B!ea" int# Th!ee: 3wo A and B stories cross in fast order0 8irst$ !eese sto-s "
2ennifer's "eaut sho- and is encoura&ed " Professor Stromwell$ who tells her not to Euit0 Second$ Lu/e and Selma ,who's &i4en u- her Insider's distrust and "ecome an all . now confront Broo/e$ tell her the smarm ?ictor hit on !eese$ and con4ince her to fire him % and hire the Blonde1

%inale: All arri4e for the final courtroom scene$ includin& !eese's Delta 'u

&irlfriends and 2ennifer with her #PS "eau0!eese enters wearin& -in/$ a -erfect e6am-le of S nthesis0 And <ust as in the earl scene when she "ests the cler/ " /nowin& the merchandise$ !eese tric/s the 4ictim's dau&hter into confessin& " understandin& the rules of -erms @ and wins the case1 3hen true 4ictor comes as her e6 -ro-oses and she turns him down0 %inal Image: Bi& chan&e from the o-enin& ima&e with ca-s in the air as !eese &raduates (ar4ard Law @ first in her class1