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Elle Woods is a beautiful blonde1majoring
in fashion merchandising at University of California at Los
Angeles (UCLA). Because of her lovely personality and excellence
in studies, she is elected the president of her sorority2
called Delta Nu and voted homecoming queen3 of the year. What's
more, she has a very smart and handsome boyfriend named Warner
Huntington, a famous senator's4 son. One night, Warner invites
her to an expensive restaurant for a special dinner, an indication
that he is to propose to her. Elle's friends are very happy
for her and help her to choose the right dress and perfume
for the special occasion. What Elle does not expect is that
instead of proposing to her, Warner tells her that he decides
to break up with her and get serious about his future since
he's going to Harvard Law School5 to be a lawyer and future
senator like his father.
After
the blow, Elle changes into a different person who no longer
cares about making up and eats a lot of junk food6. Her friends'
comfort and advice have little effect on her. One day Elle
happens to see a picture on a celebrity magazine7.
It's Warner's brother with his plain looking girlfriend as
first-year students at Harvard Law School. Elle hits upon
a good idea that Warner will come back to her if she can enter
the same law school and show him her talent. Thus she begins
to inquire about the procedure and prepare her LSAT exam (Law
School Admission Test). After a period of intensive hard work,
she passes the exam and is admitted into Harvard Law School.
Arriving
at Harvard, Elle immediately catches the eye of the students
there. But they talk about her in a sarcastic way since law
school means hard work and high I.Q.8, not skin-deep beauty.
Elle is very excited when she sees Warner, but she pretends
to ignore his existence to arouse his curiosity, which turns
out to be very effective. Warner is surprised to learn that
Elle entered the school through her own effort and regrets
dumping her. What Elle doesn't know is that Warner now has
a new girlfriend Vivian, a girl he met in prep school9. When
Elle learns about it, she is very disappointed. What's the
point of coming here all the way if she cannot get Warner
back?!
Driving
along the street, Elle happens to see a beauty parlor10 and
decides to have a look since her major was fashion merchandising.
Here she meets a very nice middle-aged woman Paulette and
pours out her heart-broken story. The woman also tells Elle
her own sad story of being dumped by her husband after eight
years of marriage. The man even took away her pet dog. Paulette
suggests that, with her beauty and charm, Elle can easily
steal Warner back from Vivian.
In the very
first class given by the harsh woman professor Stromwell,
Elle makes a scene and is turned into a laughing stock11 for
failing to answer the professor's question and being embarrassed
by Vivian. What is worse, not a single study group likes to
accept her as a member since she is regarded as a mere fashion
model without a brain. Vivian and her friends also fool her
at a party by telling her beforehand that it was a costume
ball12. Elle appears at the casual occasion in a bunny's costume,
which embarrasses her again.
After trying
several times, Elle fails to win Warner back since he is not
convinced that Elle is smart enough to match him as a future
lawyer. Now the battle turns into one for Elle to prove her
worthiness of the law profession instead of mer
ely getting her boyfriend back. Hard work results in her great
progress and she starts to get attention from the professors.
Elle also helps Paulette get her pet dog back from her ex-husband
by applying legal knowledge she has learned. All these greatly
boost her confidence.
When it's
the time to do their internship, Professor Callahan, also
a law firm partner, chooses Warner, Vivian and Elle to help
him handle a case of murder. If they do the job well, they
might get a position in the law firm when they graduate
. It's a case of a young woman Brooke being charged, by her
stepdaughter of similar age, of having murdered her aged millionaire
husband. While the rest of the group headed by the professor
believe that it's an obvious case of murdering for wealth,
Elle thinks otherwise by instinct. She reasons that it's the
millionaire's daughter and ex-wife who wanted to get rid of
Brooke in order to inherit the whole property. However, Brooke
wouldn't provide her alibi13, a key element to win th
e case.
Elle volunteers
to collect evidence from Brooke after learning that she used
to be a member of Delta Nu at UCLA. With care and understanding
Elle touches Brooke and wins her trust. Thus Elle gets Brooke's
alibi and wins the respect from the whole group including
Callahan's assistant Emmett and Vivian who later confides
to Elle a secret that Warner is no
t smart at all and that he got into Harvard from the waiting
list14 all because of his father's influence. At the same
time, Paulette begins to date a nice postman who often brings
mails for her.
One day, Professor Callahan calls
Elle in. He praises Elle for her intelligencein helping the
case before implying that she could work in his law firm and
become an associate under the condition that she goes to bed
with him. Elle is shocke
d and decides to quit the case. She even wants to quit the
law school. Encouraged by Paulette and Professor Stromwell,
Elle changes her mind. What surprises Elle is that Brooke
fires Callahan and hires her as her defense lawyer after learning
about what happened. Assisted by Emmett, Elle wins the case
for Brooke and becomes famous.
At the gate
of the court, Warner is waiting for Elle. He intends to resume
their relationship. But now it's Elle's turn to reject his
proposal in contempt.
After three
years——hard work, Elle graduates with honors. She is chosen
to make a speech at the graduation ceremony. Elle tells the
audience that it is passion, courage of conviction15, and
strong sense of self that has helped her finish her study
and find the meaning of life.
Vivian dumped Warner. She and Elle
are now best friends. Warner graduated without honors, without
a girlfriend and without any job offers. Paulette married
the postman. They are expecting their first child, a daughter
to be named Elle. Emmett left Callahan's firm and started
his own practice. He and Elle have been dating for the past
two years.
Excerpts
Warner Breaks up with Elle at the Dinner Table
Elle: Must be strange having such perfect eyes.
Warner: God, you're so wonderful. Elle, thank you.
Elle: Here's to us.
Warner: To us. Elle?
Elle: Yes?
Warner: One of the reasons I wanted to come here
tonight was... to discuss our future.
Elle: And I am fully amenable16 to that discussion.
Warner: Good. You know how we've been having all
kinds of fun lately?
Elle: Yeah.
Warner: Well, Harvard is gonna be different. Law
school is a completely different world, and I need to be
serious.
Elle: Of course.
Warner: My family expects a lot from me.
Elle: Right.
Warner: I expect a lot from me. I plan on running
for office17 someday.
Elle: I fully support that. You know that, right.
Warner: Absolutely. But the thing is... if I'm going
to be a senator by the time I'm thirty I need to stop dicking
around18.
Elle: Warner, I completely agree.
Warner: That's why I think it's time for us... Elle,
pooh bear19...
Elle: Yes. (Expecting his proposal in excitement)
I do.
Warner: I think we should break up.
Elle: What?!
Warner: I've been thinking, and it's the right thing
to do.
Elle: You're breaking up with me? I thought you were
proposing.
Warner: Proposing? Elle, if I'm going to be a senator,
I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn20.
Elle: You're breaking up with me because I'm too
blonde?
Elle's Parents Persuade Her not to Go to Law School
Father: Law school?
Elle: It's a perfectly respectable place, Daddy.
Mother: Honey, you were first runner-up21 at the
Miss Hawaiian Tropics con
test. Why are you gonna throw that all away?
Elle: Going to Harvard is the only way I'll get the
love of my life back.
Father: Sweetheart, you don't need law school. Law
school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious.
And you, Button22, are none of those things. (Elle sighs)
Self-Introduction at Harvard Law School
Class Leader: O.K. Welcome to law school. This is
the part where we go around in a circle and everyone says
a little bit about themselves. (Looks at David) Let's start
with you.
David: My name is David Kidney. I have a master's
in Russian literature, a Ph. D in biochemistry23, and for
the last eighteen months I've been deworming orphans in
Somalia24.
Class Leader: Awesome. (Shifts to Enid) What about
you?
Enid: Hey. How you doin'? I'm Enid Wexler. I got
a Ph. D. from Berkeley in women's studies emphasis in the
history of combat25, and last year, I single-handedly organized
the march for lesbians26 against drunk driving.
Class Leader: Killer.
Enid: Thanks. Good times. (It is Aaron's turn)
Aaron: Aaron Mitchell. I graduated first in my class
from Princeton, and I have an I.Q. of 187. And it's been
suggested that Stephen Hawking27 stole his Brief History
of Time from my fourth grade paper.
Class Leader: Cool. (Turns to Elle)
Elle: Me?
Class Leader: Yeah.
Elle: O.K. Hi. I'm Elle Woods and this is Bruiser
Woods (raising her pet dog) and we're both vegetarians28.
I have a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising from
UCLA, and I was a Zeta Lambda Nu sweetheart, president of
my sorority, Delta Nu. And last year, I was homecoming queen.
Oh, two weeks ago I saw Cameron Diaz29 at Fred Segal and
I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater30.
Whoever said orange was the new pink was
seriously disturbed.
1.
blonde: 金发碧眼白皮肤的女孩。
2. sorority:
（美国大专院校的）女生联谊会。
3. homecoming queen:同学聚会时选出的最漂亮的女孩。
4. senator:参议员。
5. Harvard Law School:哈佛大学法学院。
6. junk food:低营养高热量的食物，如炸鸡、冰激凌和巧克力。
7. celebrity magazine:专门报道名人的杂志。
8. I.Q.: = Intelligence
Quotient, 智商。
9. prep school:预科学校。
10. beauty parlor:美容院，美容店。
11. laughing stock:笑柄。
12. costume ball:化妆舞会，参加者须穿各式怪诞服装。
13. alibi:［律］不在犯罪现场。
14. waiting list:候补名单。
15. conviction:坚定的信仰。
16. amenable:顺从的，愿意的。
17. run for office:竞选公职（如议员、州长等）。
18. dick around:<俚语>胡闹，瞎混。
19. pooh bear:维尼熊，为迪斯尼动画片里的可爱动物。
20. Jackie and Marilyn:指杰奎琳·肯尼迪和玛丽莲·梦露。端庄美丽的黑发杰奎琳帮肯尼迪圆了总统梦，而性感迷人的金发梦露与肯尼迪的暧昧关系则对肯尼迪造成了负面影响。
21. first runner-up:（选美等）亚军。
22. button:爱称，相当于honey或sweetheart。
23. biochemistry:生物化学。
24. deworming orphans
in Somalia:为索马里孤儿驱除蛔虫。
25. combat:战斗，格斗。
26. lesbian:女同性恋者。
27. Stephen Hawking:史蒂芬·霍金（1942-
），英国理论物理学家，著有《时间简史》（1988）。
28. vegetarian: 素食者。
29. Cameron Diaz:卡梅隆·迪亚兹，美国女影星。主演过《我最好朋友的婚礼》、《我为玛丽狂》、《霹雳天使》等影片。
30. heinous angora sweater:难看的安哥拉山羊毛衫。
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