That was my first thought as well. It would have never occurred to me that Penny and William would be anything more than friends after the movie. 

I thought the movie heavily implied that Penny was continuing her itinerant lifestyle and William moving on from his hangup with her being part of his growth?

I actually loved the movie, it was right age/right time for me (was 19 when it came out, had just started journalism school, and loved classic rock).

William and Penny don’t have a “romance” - he has an unrequited crush that never pans out. Also, Polexia is barely a character in the movie, so I’m not sure why any of this even matters since there’s no reason why the audience should care whether they get together a few years down the line, but the age difference…

I’m not a bubble-gum pink fashionista but I still enjoy the movie quite a bit. I think about Elle a lot when I work out, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”

Also, I just love the way her face lights up when she hears Chutney testify…

Absolutely with you. Elle Woods is great because she’s possibly the only media portrayal of a woman who is both smart and not just feminine but hyper feminine. She’s “girly” in the way that I was always taught was bad, shallow, and frivolous. And her friends are women. She’s not the “cool girl” who “just gets along…

One of the reasons the film persists in popular imagination, I think, is because its “thesis” is so relatable. The quote, “the law is reason free from passion” is mentioned several times, and everyone but Elle acts like this is true. But, through her actions in the film, she proves it false. It is “passion” (her…

I definitely had a soft spot for Miss Congeniality in my youth but as an adult I more identify with Legally Blonde. That’s no shade on Gracie Hart but I think the difference is what Kate Monday says in the comment above mine. Some girls are into traditional femininity and some aren’t. Gracie is a better fit for those…

Just to put my two cents in on this one as well: I feel that American Beauty would be a lot of cruelty with no depth, as you’re saying, EXCEPT for the two characters played by Annette Bening and Chris Cooper. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have liked the movie much, but every time I watch it, I’m utterly moved and…

Just out of curiosity, because you were clearly the right age: did Miss Congeniality serve the same purpose for you? I love Miss Congeniality with all my heart and I found it very different from Legally Blonde, but I hear them mentioned together a lot. Did young you feel empowered by Miss Congeniality too?

I’ve probably seen this movie or had it played in the background at least 50 times in the early 00s when I was in college. I recently rewatched it, and many parts do not hold up anymore, it’s true. I still love this movie so much. It’s just such a fun fuck you to the patriarchy. There was so much power and integrity…

You know, reading everyone’s responses here, I’m becoming more and more sure that younger me hated the character simply BECAUSE she was so into fashion and had a tiny dog and all that...not a feminist dislike, per se, just a personal distrust of anything overly flashy. (Even now, I tend to assume people with purse…

LOL I genuinely love American Beauty, and I’m not saying that to sound smart because I’m still not sure I fully understand it. (Or at least, I loved it dearly before we all found out Kevin Spacey was human garbage...now I’m not sure I could watch it and enjoy it).

I won’t come at you because 1) you asked a legitimate question with honest intentions and 2) I’m the only person I know who hated American Beauty. (I suspect it’s one of those movies you claim to love so you’ll sound smart.)

I’m not going to shell you (lol) but I am going to offer a different perspective. I was 10 when this came out and watched it again recently. The ol’ girl holds up mostly because of how women are portrayed in the films you cited. At the time this was released the P!nk “Stupid Girls” vs. Lindsay, Paris, Britney thing…

He’s tracked my phone to make sure I’m not going anywhere “unapproved” and if I don’t tell him everything I’m doing he gets upset.

Yeah, that’s straight up abusive relationship warning sign #1.  Well, maybe #2.  #1 is finding out they put it on the phone without asking/telling.

The minute someone you are in a relationship with wants to track your phone to know where you are, run as fast as you can.