Conflict

The day after the banquet, Irene threw herself into the editing room. She secretly vowed to make this movie even better than it had been in her previous life.

She borrowed transition techniques and editing methods from movies that would not appear until later, constantly revising and improving the film. But some scenes felt too "fresh," leaving even the editor, Hill, unsure whether they should be done that way.

Francis, meanwhile, devoted more of his energy to planning the test screening. To everyone's surprise, he left Irene entirely in charge of the editing.

After the Oscars ceremony, Hollywood returned to a brief period of calm.

Normally, after a production company made a movie, it had to approach distributors itself and pitch its product. But with Coppola's name carrying so much weight, and George Lucas lending his support, several major distributors showed a little courtesy and attended the test screening Francis had organized.

Paramount Pictures sent its acquisitions executive, Robbins Cook, to judge the film's quality and decide whether it could be added to the company's slate.

Rumors had it that Francis Coppola himself had made the movie and merely put Irene Coppola's name on it. But Robbins knew Director Coppola well enough to believe he would never stoop to such a thing. Besides, the title, Legally Blonde, didn't sound like a Francis Coppola film at all.

When he entered the temporarily rented screening room, several colleagues were already scattered across the seats. They exchanged nods in greeting, and he picked a seat at random.

The movie began shortly afterward.

On the screen, the girl named Reese Witherspoon had a head of blonde hair and wore a pink suit. She looked like the quintessential girly girl, yet she charged headlong through the arrogant halls of Harvard Law School with unexpected intelligence and tenacity.

She wasn't a joke; she was a joke-making machine. The reactions of the colleagues sitting near Robbins were the clearest barometer. At first, they gave polite chuckles. Then they broke into unguarded, heartfelt laughter. At certain moments, a few even burst into spontaneous applause.

Robbins rested his fingers against his chin, his professional instincts racing. This was a gem along the lines of Pretty Woman, but smarter and more in tune with the way young people thought.

When the screening ended and the lights came up, Robbins noticed that several colleagues who had looked stern at first now wore lingering smiles. They exchanged glances that said, "I didn't expect it to be this good." In that moment, he knew the competition for the movie had begun.

He didn't hang around. He grabbed his things and went straight back to the company.

As soon as he arrived, he headed for the executives and requested an urgent briefing.

The company approved his request and quickly gathered the relevant personnel. In less than half an hour, the distribution department's leadership and other staff were seated in the conference room.

"Robbins, go ahead. What movie has you so excited?" Sawyer Walker, the department head, sat across from him and motioned for him to explain.

"I just watched a movie called Legally Blonde. I know it might sound like a teen comedy imitating Pretty Woman, but I'm telling you, it's much more than that. Here's the script." Robbins spoke excitedly as he handed it to his boss.

While Sawyer read the script, Robbins continued to share his thoughts on the movie.

"It blends comedy, fashion, and female empowerment perfectly. It's almost frighteningly precise. I watched the audience during the screening. The laughter was genuine, sustained, and contagious.

"Reese Witherspoon has tremendous star power. This movie could become the next cultural phenomenon. Young women will flock to see it—and watch it again and again. It's a future classic."

Sawyer quickly flipped through the script and thought for a moment before asking, "Is this that new Coppola movie?"

"Yes, it's Irene Coppola's work." Robbins was about to continue when another voice interrupted him.

"Forgive me for saying so, but isn't this young lady's first film? Are you sure it's really as good as you say?" Michelson Owen objected.

"Listen, boss, this isn't just a movie worth distributing. It's a movie we have to acquire. It has everything it needs to be a hit: tremendous entertainment value, a clearly defined audience, plenty of buzz, and spin-off potential.

"Our competitors haven't fully realized its value yet. We need to act immediately and secure the distribution rights on the most competitive terms!" Robbins pleaded more earnestly, hoping his boss would take his recommendation seriously.

"Hey, Robbins. From what you're saying, this is a teen comedy, right?"

Robbins hadn't wanted to engage with Owen, since Owen was always competing with him for a higher position. But Sawyer still hadn't given him an answer, so he reluctantly replied, "Yes. So what? Even if it's just a teen comedy, it—" He suddenly stopped, realizing something.

Michelson picked up where he'd left off. "Summer is the best release window for teen comedies, but you seem to have forgotten that we already have an even better movie lined up for the summer—a film starring Julia Roberts."

That was right. Robbins remembered: Runaway Bride, directed by renowned filmmaker Garry Marshall and starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in their second collaboration, with a budget of seventy-eight million dollars.

The romantic comedy had been scheduled for a summer release from the start, and it was standard practice for distributors not to release two movies of the same genre in the same window.

"Boss, I still hope you'll give Legally Blonde a chance. It really is the best teen comedy I've seen in the past two years. We'll regret it if we let it slip away." Robbins was still unwilling to give up, and tried once more to persuade him.

"Boss, I disagree. Runaway Bride is far better than that Legally Blonde in every way, from the director to the cast. There's no need to release two movies of the same genre in the same window. It would be irresponsible of us to split the company's resources that way."

Robbins hadn't expected Owen to oppose him so openly. He spoke even faster. "Boss, I—"

Sawyer Walker raised a hand, cutting Robbins off. "That's enough, Robbins. I know you're high on Legally Blonde, but Owen's right. The two movies aren't comparable. There's no point in competing with ourselves. That's it. Go find another suitable film." He stood and left the conference room.

Michelson Owen gloated at Robbins. "Legally Blonde? You really think you can take on me with a baby director's movie? I don't know if you're hopelessly naive or if you've just given up and stopped caring. Next time, could you at least pick a better target?"

Robbins was deeply discouraged when he saw that Walker had left the conference room. Without even looking at Owen, he turned toward the door. As he was leaving, he replied, "Think what you want. I simply believe in Legally Blonde." Then he walked out.

Owen was left standing there.