The first "Blonde" went over like 24-hour valet parking on Rodeo Drive, earning nearly $100 million for its delightfully daffy saga of Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a sunshine-kissed Beverly Hills girl who conquered Harvard Law School in perfectly coordinated pink ensembles.

It was never a question of if there'd be a sequel, just when. And could.

Could anything be more lighter-than-air than the first "Blonde"? More improbable in terms of plot, pacing and pooch couture for Elle's beloved Chihuahua, Bruiser?

Yes. Oh my, yes.

And . . . so what?

Clocking in at a mere 94 minutes, "Legally Blonde 2" is too fast, too furiously packed with "Omigod, I can't believe she just said that [and that I laughed]"-type lines to do anything but sit back and enjoy it. There are occasional misfires, like a forced running gag about a "Snap Cup" and a creepy rap sequence with Congressional interns down on all-fours. Nor are there any special effects, unless you count Bruiser's outfits.

Still, unlike a lot of big summer movies,"Blonde 2" is fun. If not quite as "superfun!" (quoth Elle) as its predecessor, it's only because we've been here before.

We already saw the fish-out-of-Evian scenario in the first "Legally Blonde." This time around, Elle's swimming with the sharks in Washington, D.C., although -- always the cockeyelinered optimist -- she has no idea how nasty things will get when she pops in for her first day of work at Congresswoman Rudd's (Sally Field) office.

"Hello, patriots!" Elle trills from beneath her pink pillbox hat.

"Oh my God," one Rudd staffer snarls. "It's Capitol Barbie."

"She's so . . . shiny," another mocks.

Shiny, yes. But always with a cause. Last time it was getting into Harvard, where she overcame fierce anti-blonde prejudice to win a big murder trial and a hunky lawyer's heart.

This time around, product testing on animals has got her goat. Now planning her wedding to Emmett (Luke Wilson, back and still looking blank for the sequel), Elle abruptly moves to D.C. to push for a bill banning the practice. You see, the private investigator she's hired to find Bruiser's "biological" mother has led her to a row of dogs trapped in cages at a cosmetics company.

What, you think that's silly?

Of course it is. All of it! Though no more silly, perhaps, than watching the real Congress fawn over shiny movie stars "testifying" about some cause that's the subject of their latest script.

Meanwhile, Elle seems anything but stupid as she advances her bill through a combination of newly-acquired Capitol Hill street smarts (helped by Bob Newhart's deadpan doorman) and her own unique understanding of human makeup.

Who else but Elle could recognize Rep. Rudd's facial for what it really is -- a political coverup!

"I can't do anyone any good if I'm not here," Rudd smarmily tries to explain away her actions.

"But you're not doing anyone any good here," Elle responds sadly.

It all makes so much sense, you wonder why no one's ever said it before in a movie. At least not so Elle-oquently. Even Jimmy Stewart's earnest Mr. Smith lacked her loopily logical sensibility, and while it's almost impossible to imagine any actress but Witherspoon pulling it off so adroitly, it's easy to understand her character's appeal, particularly to women.

Elle Woods is non-judgmental and smart on her own terms. She always expects the best of people, including herself. Through her, we see it's inner beauty that really counts.

Especially if you've got the shoes and hat to match.

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