“What’s up…Doc?”
Omigod you guys! I am so excited to share this post with you because it is one of my favorite topics, MUSICALS! Yes, Dear Readers another musical and I hope I don’t bore most of you but this one and my Anastasia will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only for the outstanding story lines, choreography, and songs, but the two leading men tend to capture my heart as well.
In my Anastasia post I talked about Dimitri and now I am about to introduce you to Emmett Forest from Legally Blonde the Musical. Many of you know the fabulous movie with the same title starring Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson and as much as I love that movie, I must admit I am a bigger fan of the musical.
NOTHING against Luke Wilson, but the character of Emmett that was written for the movie just lacked a little creativity and, in my opinion, he did not have enough screen time. With the musical there is more Emmett and Elle so that way we can see how their friendship grows and eventually blossoms into romance, and that is the sort of story I need; more connection/screen time, more far off looks, and more witty banter between characters.
Before we start, I just want to say thank you Luke Wilson for getting the ball rolling, but I will only be talking about Emmett from the musical. Now before we start, I want to highlight the three main points I want to make about why Emmett should be on everyone’s dream guy list. Emmett Forest is supportive, communicative, and loyal.
Now as Warner would say, “It’s time to get serious.”
From the first moment Elle Woods walked into Harvard Law Emmett was in awe, probably from all her confidence and energy right off the bat. The other classmates were not willing to associate with Elle, so Emmett took the initiative and helped her out. I think he was just super amused about the girl decked out in pink and what was going on through her head. When she got kicked out of Callahan’s class Emmett was the first one to follow her out and gives her some advice. This may not sound romantic, but it showcases the beginning of his loyalty to Elle.
The next time we see Emmett he is walking on campus and sees Elle on a bench with her playboy bunny outfit. He approaches and says, “What’s up…doc?” then laughs at his own joke. When Elle spills the beans, Emmett realizes that Elle is not here for school but for love which he thinks is ridiculous. Before he walks away Elle asks, “Well why did you come?” Emmett stops and instantly changes his attitude, gives Elle his sweater, and proceeds to tell Elle about how he had to work his way from the Roxbury slums to his position under Callahan. It is during this moment that he sees Elle more as an equal and decides to help her get back at her classmates.
The link up above is the musical number “Chip on My Shoulder.” There is a lot that happens in this scene alone and I thought it was best to show you, Dear Readers, instead of me just talking about it. There are a couple things I want you to notice that is important to Emmett’s character:
1. Emmett gives Elle his jacket
2. He helps her focus by “cleaning” her room
3. Makes jokes while being serious
4. Helps her study
5. Gets her a gift
6. Gets jealous of Warner
7. Their handshake
8. “I am just happy I could be there.”
9. His little dance while saying, “Little Miss Woods coma Elle.”
I can talk about each of these in huge detail, but I won’t because I want you to be able to interpret your own feelings towards Emmett when watching that clip. To highlight though, from the beginning of the song to the end Emmett and Elle have been together a lot, and you can see that their friendship grows in a healthy “giving way.” They may not be smitten but they have built a foundation of trust and loyalty with each other. I mean seriously did anyone else notice he just walked right into her room without knocking?? Now that is trust.
Now I want to transition to the topic of support. As you can see towards the end of the number Emmett has been helping and supporting Elle through her dilemma. They both have cultivated this back and forth relationship where they are equally supportive and honest with each other. For example, Emmett helps Elle take back Paulette’s dog Rufus, Elle is excited for Emmett and his coming promotion, and Emmett is the one to tell Elle she got Callahan’s internship spots. I mean guys they even have their own HANDSHAKE!!
Emmett never gives up on Elle no matter how silly her way of thinking is, but that doesn’t mean that he never doubts her. There is a point where Elle got the alibi from Brooke but she promised Brooke she wouldn’t tell anyone. This makes everyone furious and even Emmett was mad, but instead of keeping it to himself he expressed his feelings to Elle. Take notes Dear Readers because this is one of the most uncommon things you see in movies or TV shows, communication. Most of the time people bottle up their feelings or do not verbally express to their significant other how they are feeling and it leads to a giant explosion in the end and can even lead to a break up. Emmett and Elle’s relationship is full of communication which is why they are strong friends.
The above link is another musical clip with Elle and Emmett from the number “Take it Like a Man.” I wanted to share this clip as well because it shows the little fight they have with each other that they are able to talk it out and keep the respect they have for each other. This shows clip also show that both Emmett and Elle are figuring out their feelings and starting to have feelings for each other.
After that near kiss miss the story progresses to the trial where we see the struggles of court and trying to clear Brooke’s name. After a quick recess Elle does the bend and snap and with no reaction from Mr. Archie Tacos (the pool boy) she has figured out he is gay because the bend and snap has a 99% success rate on straight men. While everyone is shaky about the accusation, Emmett is willing to take Elle’s word for it and question the witness who he tricks into admitting he is gay. This gives the team the upper hand in the Wyndham trial and causes everyone to raise a glass to Emmett and Elle.
Things take a turn for the worse when Callahan kisses Elle and then fires her when she slaps him. When she walks back to her room crying Emmett is there waiting for her outside the door. She tells him thank you for all he has done and tells him to come visit her. Immediately Emmett springs into action and asks what is wrong and proceeds to try and comfort her. When he finds out what Callahan did he is furious and says, “Hey we can fight this.” Elle strokes his face and says, “There is no reason for me to stay.” This breaks Emmett’s heart and he confesses his love for her outside her door and begs her to stay with him. I am crying just thinking about it. There is a musical number of this dear readers but I am not posting it because I want you to pursue it yourselves. Just know this Dear Readers, this is where I truly knew that I wanted a guy like Emmett.
In the last couple scenes of the play we see Emmett really step up his confidence and fights for Elle. When Elle is in the courtroom, she needs a licensed attorney to supervise her. Emmett busts in and offers to help looking at Callahan saying, “And I don’t have to hit on interns, professor.” HOLY COW!! Way to snap back Emmett! Elle looks at him and says thank you when Emmett holds her close and whispers, “Did you actually think I was going to let you get away?” I mean swoon. Emmett knows what he wants now and he is willing to fight to get it, isn’t that what every woman wants?
After winning the trial Elle runs to Emmett and tackles him into a big hug, and just before they kiss, another near kiss miss, Emmett sees Warner and tells Elle to go talk to him saying, “I will see you later,” with a confident smirk on his face. He knows full well he got the girl and is not worried about Warner stealing her from him.
In the final scene we see Elle’s graduation and hear that Emmett is running his own firm and sounds pretty successful. After Elle’s speech she proposes to Emmett. Emmett scoops her up into a giant hug and kisses her in front of everyone. In the song you hear them sing to each other, “And now I have found my love. I found my way to love. I’ve finally found my prize.” Because that was really the whole purpose of Elle’s journey to Harvard, to follow love and to catch it.
Emmett may not have been everyone’s first choice at first glance because of his “scruffy vibe,” but in the end his personality out shined his tattered look. Neither Elle nor Emmett had to change who they were when they were around each other, they felt free to be themselves. They were able to learn from each other and grow into better people because of communication, loyalty, and support, and that is why it is an amazing love story. I mean come on their names are Forest and Woods, it is meant to be.
Until next time,
Peace Out Lovers!
