august MOVIE MEME, day 28: movie that shouldn't have had a sequel

Moving on to sadder topics - those sequels that were so atrocious they marred the fun and often greatness of the original films.  Now, I know there are a host of trash heaps that fit this category, but I'll list one that I find particularly horrendous.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, & Blonde (2003, dir. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld) - After the first Legally Blonde outing introduced us to Reese Witherspoon in her first true star vehicle and beat the odds, crafting a funny dumb-blonde movie without the dumb blonde and filled with entertaining side characters, this one fell incredibly flat.  It took everything that made the first movie fun and exploded it by 100 - resulting in a garishly plotted, senselessly written mess.  Not even bit parts from Regina King, Sally Field, and Dana Ivey could save this sinking ship.  Witherspoon does her best to elevate the material, but the laughable premise (Elle Woods going to Washington for animal rights, namely her apparently gay chihuahua) left me puzzled.  This idea should've definitely been left on the cutting room floor.  After being convinced to see it by my Legally Blonde #1-loving family, this movie was the reason my grandmother stopped going to the movies for a solid seven years.  Let that ride on the consciences of the studio execs who let this one go to theaters.