Witherspoon's blonde brief Elle Woods gets a second hearing...but this time she's swapped the murky world of law for the dodgy dealings of politics.

Settled into a top law firm and engaged to winsome hunk Luke Wilson, things couldn't look better - "I'd no idea I could be this happy without incurring credit card debt".

But when her practice refuses to back her bid to close down a laboratory experimenting on dogs - including her own chihuahua Bruiser's mom - she turns on her pink heels and is gone...to Capitol Hill.

In Washington DC, she has to learn about the world of political chicanery (is bill writing super fun or what?) under the watchful eye of role model Congresswoman Rudd (Field).

Against her are Rudd's resentful staff of lobbyists led by Grace (Regina King) but onside is politically-tuned hotel doorman Sid Post (Newhart).

Now it's up to "Capitol Barbie" to bring her combination of system-bucking intelligence and sense of fair play to bear on America's decision makers...and drive her animal testing bill through.

Despite swapping the setting from Harvard Law School to Washington, the plot devices are pretty unimaginatively lifted lock, stock from the original.

Elle even uses her in-depth knowledge of beauty treatments to again trump an adversary and mark the turning point of the film.

You wouldn't really expect anything else - but you might have expected something a little less formulaic from the director of Kissing Jessica Stein.

The laughs are increasingly sourced from fashion and skin care references and the whole affair sees Witherspoon happy to tread water.

It's a shame to see the same actress who electrified the screen in Cruel Intentions and Election content to see her considerable talents ticking over.

Time to move on.

Tim Evans