Before Prime Video's 'Elle' drops, you need to rewatch the 25-year-old movie that started it all

One of the biggest Prime Video shows premiering in summer 2026 is "Elle," a new '90s-set coming-of-age comedy series starring someone we all know and love: Elle Woods.

The character of Elle Woods — that bubbly blonde taken with all things designer fashion and legally binding — has become one of pop culture's most enduring figures these last 25 years but in the upcoming prequel series "Elle," which premieres on Prime Video on July 1, the ultimate Cali girl is just another high-school teen (played by Lexi Minetree) trying to navigate bullies, crushes and the unfamiliar halls of a new school. In moody Seattle, no less!

But seeing the youthful origins of Elle Woods has us wanting to go back to where the franchise all started, before the Broadway show ("Legally Blonde: The Musical"), before the prequels and sequels ("Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde"), back when "Bend...and snap!" first entered our collective consciousness. And with the original "Legally Blonde" officially turning the big 2-5 this year and Legally Able to Rent a Car, there's no better time to revisit the Reese Witherspoon-led classic. Here's why you should stream "Legally Blonde" now on Prime Video before tuning into "Elle" next month.

What is 'Legally Blonde' about?

With an instantly iconic lead performance by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, "Legally Blonde" centers on the aforementioned Elle Woods, a Los Angeles sorority girl who is pretty much solely concerned with fashion, fun and her fetching boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). However, when Warner dumps her because she's not "serious" enough for someone who will soon be attending Harvard Law School, Elle is determined to win him back—and she's going to Harvard to do it.

But when Witherspoon's character makes her way to the Ivy League institution, her vivacious spirit and preference for pink quickly clash with the school's more buttoned-up culture, especially with Warner's WASPy new fiancé, Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair). Eager to win over not only Warner but also her East Coast classmates, Elle works hard to understand the law and gets the chance to work on a high-profile murder case that will change her life.

Why now is the perfect time to stream 'Legally Blonde'

There's a reason that Elle Woods and "Legally Blonde" at large still charm a quarter-century later. It's because, while Elle's original goal may be boyfriend-related, the Robert Luketic-directed flick is a romantic comedy between a young woman and her own potential. Elle was always intelligent, ambitious and resilient; she just needed to get dumped by Warner to see all of that for herself.

"At least once a week, I have a woman come up to me and say, 'I went to law school because of 'Legally Blonde,'" Witherspoon previously shared with The Wall Street Journal. "It's incredible ... You can be unapologetically feminine but also smart and driven."

In terms of endurance, it certainly helps that "Legally Blonde" is not only inspiring but also hilarious, with a quick-witted script and a great ensemble cast — including Luke Wilson, Victor Garber, Holland Taylor, Linda Cardellini and an especially scene-stealing Jennifer Coolidge — supporting Witherspoon's mega-watt, Golden Globe-nominated performance.

Stream "Legally Blonde" on Prime Video now

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