Sweet Home Alabama Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Sometimes What You're Looking For Is Right Where You Left It.
Fall... in love.
Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon), an up and rising fashion designer in New York, has gotten almost everything she wished for since she was little. She has a great career and the JFK-like husband of New York City. But when he proposes to her, she doesn't forget about her family back down South - and, more importantly, her husband back there, who refuses to divorce her ever since she sent divorce paper for almost 5 years. To settle matters straight, she decides to go to the south quick and make him sign the papers. But when things don't turn out the way she planned them out, she realizes that what she had before in the south was far more perfect than the life she had in new york city.
| Reese Witherspoon | Melanie Smooter/Carmichael |
| Josh Lucas | Jake Perry |
| Patrick Dempsey | Andrew Hennings |
| Candice Bergen | Mayor Kate Hennings |
| Mary Kay Place | Pearl Smooter |
| Fred Ward | Earl Smooter |
| Jean Smart | Stella Kay Perry |
| Ethan Embry | Bobby Ray |
| Melanie Lynskey | Lurlynn |
| Courtney Gains | Sheriff Wade |
| Mary Lynn Rajskub | Dorothea |
| Rhona Mitra | Tabatha Wadmore-Smith |
| Nathan Lee Graham | Frederick Montana |
| Sean Bridgers | Eldon |
| Fleet Cooper | Clinton |
| Andy Tennant |
5.80 out of 10 (18856 votes)
Visitor Reviews
You can't keep your roots and grow wings at the same time.
posted on 27 Aug 2009This movie was great! It had some decent acting, lots of humour and a pretty decent story too. Although some might say it is the typical American love story, it is set up really well and executed almost to perfection.Other than that, it's a story about roots; about growing wings; about first love; about money; about New York City and you find out what happens when lightning crashes on sand!!
Boring
posted on 23 Aug 2009I was very deceptioned with this movie. I went to the theater looking forward to watch a "so funny film" - as they told me - and went out very bored. The movie is a very long journey of Reese Witherspoon (ever pretty), searching for her lost happiness. The problem is that this journey is without any exciting happening. She screams, cries in the rain, fights and that is all. I almost slept. If you like an exciting movie that makes you laugh every time, watch "Rat Race" and not "Sweet Home Alabama". I'm telling you. The only "happy" event in the movie is when Reese's father uses his special chair, and it's not to make you laugh, is to say that this movie is a comedy, and it is so distant from being one. But watch it if you want to see a pretty actress.
very charming movie
posted on 19 Aug 2009This was a really good movie. Reece and Josh were great. You feel the warmth of southern hospitallity when the movie takes you to Alabama. Once you get there you don't want to leave. The movie takes you through a wide range of emotions. It makes you laugh and it chokes you up and it makes you laugh again. It mixes it all up and comes out charming. The supporting cast was great. There is an actress in a scene at Stella's Roadhouse that plays a very small part that I would like to know more about. She was so cute. She played Jakes date for the night. Her characters name was Starr. It was a very small part but she played it so perfect. Like the Beach Boys sing ..."and southern girls with the way they talk they knock me out when I'm down there". You'll see those girls with southern accents in this movie and there all so cute.
I can't take this nonsense anymore
posted on 17 Aug 2009this may contain SPOILERS as i may not be able to control my ranting. i've noticed that almost every review for this movie is positive. well, i've been idle too long. i can't take it and i'm going to take a stand. this movie is evil. it gets a 1 out of 10. reese witherspoon, or melanie, found her "soulmate" when she was like...10. she knew he was the one because he kissed her on a beach and lightening struck the sand and made glass. so they get hitched when they are, oh lets say 17. but she realizes that her husband is a redneck who's not doing a whole lot. so she goes to new york to find herself in the world. she becomes a fashion designer and falls in love with a democrat (oh no). he proposes to her in tiffanys and tells her to pick out any ring that she wants (this is where the sorority girl next to me uttered her first "oh my god", she then repeats it every five minutes...grrr). she agrees. but there's one small problem she never divorced the guy living in a swamp in alabama. she must go home to divorce him once and for all. and a whole lot of unfunny nonsensical stuff happens. while in 'bama she decides to do a lot of drinking and puts down her friends and whatnot, which is neither funny nor dramatic. then she goes to talk to her dead dog. it is suggested that the dog died of a broken heart(oh boo-hoo). it is also suggested that melanie had an abortion at some point in her younger years (gasp controversy!). so bla bla bla, melanie blows off the democrat at their wedding when it is discovered that it was she who did not sign the divorce papers. then she and her friends stop at a store/restaurant. what's in the store? GLASS! glass everywhere, as far as the eye can see! and who should come down the stairs you ask. swamp boy! that's right. time to fall in love again. he's doing something with his life now. he's making glass. happy ending. wow, this is trash. this movie is geared towards girls in their late teens and 20's. i'm a chick. i'm 19. i hate it. it would have been really cool if the dead dog started talking to her. and she went on a killing spree. or if she had simply dumped both the guys and moved to some place cool like london and had a series of one night stands. hehe, cool. so go see something good. go see Real Women Have Curves. GLASS!!! stupid stupid glass.
Not one for a chick flick...but
posted on 11 Aug 2009I watched this primarily because of Reese Witherspoons portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Here in Sweet Home Alabama, she is a country girl turned city girl, who is forced to return to her roots in order to get a divorce from her husband that she hasn't seen in 7 years so she could marry another.
But in so doing, she finds that the past life she had been embarrased about wasn't so bad. Forced to slow down, she rediscovers herself, and finds out what true love is all about.
After it was over, it made me want to move from the city to some small town like what I grew up in.
Another show like this one is Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox. If you liked one you'll like the other.
decent
posted on 11 Aug 2009This was an ok movie about a lady who gets engaged to her wealthy lover, only to find out that her previous marriage hasn't been officially declared divorced. She then goes back home to try and fix things. Overall, I think it was warm in some parts and funny in others.** 1/2 out of ****
8 FRAMES OF JOSH'S BLUE EYES
posted on 09 Aug 2009
Sweet Home Alabama has been playing on a continuous loop on my dvd player. I just can't seem to get enough of this movie. I don't know why I love it so much...or at least I didn't know until I watched the movie AGAIN but this time with the director commentary.
The genesis for this film came at the behest of the Andy Tennant's dad who was a prodigious letter writer. He once wrote to his son about witnessing the astonishing effects of lightning hitting the sand. That letter and the visuals of the pools of hot sandy glass was at the core of what inspired this movie.
Of course the writers let their imaginations run wild because fulgurites don't usually look like what is shown in the film...but where love stories are concerned fantasy will also beat reality into submission. In the drudgery of the real world this is usually what happens to sand when lightning strikes it
The scene of the marriage proposal at Tiffany's was also based on a real story. A friend of the directors really did propose to his girlfriend at Tiffany's. In the movie that is no set but the real store and the actual employees of the Tiffany store in New York City
The dog. Bryant was portrayed by a coon hound named Baron and according to Andy was the "worst actor on the set". He refused to bark or sit on command and all of the scenes with him were a "miracle of editing"
The scene where Bryant jumps in the lake after a bone and sinks is based on the movies producer who owned a dog who really could dive to the bottom of a pool and retrieve a ball. In the movie however those scenes were done using a puppet and not the real dog. This includes the scene when Bryant pops up having found the bone and is swimming back to the pier. This is the sculptors rendering of the dogs head that was used in the submersion scenes
The dogs names in the film...Bear (the dog that died) and Bryant are both named for legendary Alabama football coach Paul Bear Bryant.
The film was mostly shot in a small town in Georgia called Crawfordville. Jakes fishing cabin, the bank and Stella's Roadhouse really do exist and a lot of the local townspeople were featured in the films party and festival scenes.
Speaking of the roadhouse. The first time we see it is when Melanie has followed Jake there to harass him about the divorce. When she walks in there is a band on stage. That band features Keni Thomas.
Keni is not just a singer but a survivor who lived through the horrors of Somalia featured in the book and film Blackhawk Down. It was his unit that was caught in the ambush in Mogadishu
The popular Vermont glass artisan Simon Pearce was the basis for Jakes character. In fact Jake's own "Tiffany scene" toward the end of the film when Melanie tries to find out more about Southwest Glass features every item from the actual Simon Pearce store
One of the more rollicking yet controversial aspects of Sweet Home Alabama was the story line as to how Melanie came to be known as "Felony Melanie".
That part of the film is also based on fact. Andy Tennant's godfather and namesake was a legendary character actor named Andy Devine
Melanie's childhood is based on Andy's own wild child upbringing and that includes the story of Fuzz the cat that blew up the bank.
According to Devine's relatives;
"...the various versions of the "cat incident" make Andy sound awful, but she says the incident did indeed occur. What actually happened was that one of the local judges offered Andy and a friend 50 cents to get rid of a mangy old cat for him. He emphasized that they do so in humane manner. Fifty cents was a princely sum in those days, so Andy and his friend undertook this assignment.. They knew where some dynamite was, so took cat, dynamite and a long, long fuse to the dump where they proceeded to carefully wrap the cat in dynamite. What could be more humane than instant destruction, they reasoned. They lit the fuse and ran like crazy. They looked around and much to their dismay found the cat following them fuse burning vigorously. The boys ran by the Van Marter house and the cat ran under the house. Andy said he was terrified that the dynamite would blow up the house, but the cat ran out from under the house and into the woodshed. The woodshed blew sky high. No one ever knew what happened until years later Andy, in a personal appearance in Kingman, confessed to the crime."
Even the coon hound cemetery in the film is real, though the one on film is actually a set because producers were worried about traipsing all over the graves of cherished pets. The real coon hound cemetery was established in 1937 and is in Freedom Hills. The cemetery in the film is an exact duplicate of the original right down to the head stones and signs
COON DOG EULOGY
Let not your hearts be troubled,
for in his master's swamp are many den trees.
If it were not so, I would have told you.
He has gone to prepare a place for you
and where he has gone Ole Red will go also.
Dogs, they say, do not have souls.
They only have hide and bones.
But I believe there is a coon dog heaven
and Red is gone were the good coon dogs go.
Anybody that coon hunts has to believe in God.
If you have known the music of coon hounds on a trail
and heard the excitement in their voices when they strike,
and seen their eagerness and determination when they tree,
if you have seen their courage and bravery
in a tough fight with an old boar coon,
if you have heard their anguished cries and howls,
if you have seen the ugly gashes
and bleeding wounds
and witnessed their resolve to never quit,
you know there has to be a God to make an animal like that.
And a God that that would make a coon dog
won't forget him when he is gone.
There is a coon dog heaven and Ole Red is there.
And every night he runs
and the den trees are there in the old swamp
and the old hunter's moon hangs low in the west
and the coons don't go up no slick barked trees
and the carbide don't run out
and there ain't no bull nettle and saw briars
and old master always knocks the coon out
and lets Ole Red grab him and give him a good shake;
and then he gets a pat on the head
and climbs back into the kennel in the back of the pick-up truck
and goes home and sleeps all day.
'Cause he knows in coon dog heaven he can hunt again
when the sun goes down and the tree frogs holler.
May the bones of Ole Red rest in peace,
through the mercy of God
and may the coon hunters light perpetually shine upon him.
AMEN
And so we come to the eight frames of Josh's blue eyes.
If you have seen the film, this particular scene happens when Jake comes down stairs in his store to find Melanie there petting Bryant and staring up at him.
Andy says in the commentary that he's a guy and did not realize how gorgeous Josh was until he cut a few frames from this scene just to save some time. Apparently one of the female editors on the film had such a conniption fit about this that he immediately put them back. So when you watch the movie with his commentary he is practically giggling while he literally counts the full 8 frames of Josh's blue eyes.
My all time favorite part of the Sweet Home Alabama is at the end. Andy talks about the wedding cake saying that Rock-em-Sock-em Robots are a rather hilarious representation of the passionate relationship between Jake and Melanie.
I don't really want to get married but I sho nuff would like to have a party at a honky tonk with that 3 tiered cake topped with robots.
Sweet Home Alabama really is the very essence of the word sweet. I guess that is why I appreciate it so much. Usually when Hollywood goes south we end up with a 2 hour film full of negative stereotypes ala Deliverance. But here Andy Tennant has taken ALL of the stereotypes and presented them in a brighter light. His commentary is BRILLIANT because he is not talking AT you but with you so by the end of the film you feel like you just watched this movie with your best friend.
Ultimately I think Melanie and by extension the films viewers got the same lesson that Dorothy did...that sometimes what you want and what you need is right there in front of you and there really is "no place like home"
Reminds me of home....
posted on 09 Aug 2009As we left the theatre a friend commented "Why is it the girl leaves the small town and goes away, then goes back and sees the good in the place?" I didn't answer then, but it's because it's true. You have to leave to see what you have left behind and that is exactly what this movie is saying. It's funny throughout, with Candace Bergen giving a stellar performance as an overbearing mother and Reese Witherspoon actually pulling off a "better than thou" attitude to the people she "grew up" with in Alabama. It completely reminded me of growing up in the south where people are forgiving for whatever you say and where you're always welcome home. The writers truly outdid themselves when they wrote in the nicknames (Felony Melanie) and told totally outlandish stories that could only happen to kids growing up in a small town with nothing to do. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
A charming safe choice
posted on 05 Aug 2009I went to see this movie as a first date and both the guy and I enjoyed it. Reese Witherspoon has found her niche in romantic comedies. As for the reviewer who said she had the worst Southern accent. That accent is authentic. Reese is from Nashville, Tennessee and we do have Southern accents down here. One of the best casting ideas was Patrick Dempsey and Candice Bergen. I loved Bergen in Miss Congeniality and she once again shined in this. I am so happy to see her again in different projects. While the movie does follow the tried and true romantic comedy outline, it is still charming. The plays the do on the Southern culture and charming and in many cases, accurate. Don't knock us for our obsession with the War between the States! It's part of our heritage (something that Southernors take great pride in--obvious in the movie). Great movie and would recommend it if you love the genre of romantic comedies.
Liked it til the end
posted on 05 Aug 2009Really cute, really, funny, but I was jerked from a thumbs up to a thumbs down by the way the Reese Witherspoon's character treats her fiance. The man appeared to be everything of a prince charming, compromising, giving and forgiving to demonstrate his love; even going head to head against his powerful mother. I just think he deserved better treatment than what he got from her and it p***ed me off. Her decision may or may not have been a correct one, but timing is everything. It seems her small town roots were showing in a bad way - and you witness a good example of why those small towns are labeled backward.
Great Feel Good/Date Movie.
posted on 01 Aug 2009If your are looking for a couple of hours where you can sit down with your significant other and come away feeling good then this is the movie for you. Is it a romantic formulary movie with no pretence of the real world, yes. Does it have an ending that is broadcast from the begining, absolutely. Reese Witherspoons caracter, Melanie, must go back to her home town to obtain a divorce from her husband she left several years ago because she is engaged to the son of the Mayor of New York, played by perfectly by Candice Bergin. Of course he is relunctant to give in to her demands because of their past and the way she left she left him. The movie comes into its own when the focus is on the town and its collections of charecters, all of whom are associated with Melanie's past. The weakest part of the movie is the fact the stormy relationship Melanie has with her parents is never satifactorly explained. All of the actors play their roles well and it looks as if they enjoyed making this movie. Will "Sweet Home Alabama" take home an oscar, no way. But then again when I watch a movie like this I am looking to be entertained, have a few laughs, and walk away feeling good and on those points this movie hits the mark.
Sweet Sweet Alabama
posted on 26 Jul 2009Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
Producer: Motion Picture
Date Released: February 4, 2003
Length: 1 hour and 48 minutes
Rating: PG 13
This delightful, entertaining, romantic, comedy stars Reese Witherspoon playing sophisticated Melanie Carmichael, a New York clothing designer who's stuck in the middle with a husband , Jake, who refuses to divorce her and a fiancée, Andrew. Now it's up to Melanie, go back to Alabama with Jake or stay in New York with Andrew and get married. If you want to know more I guess you'll have to see it for yourself. Sweet Home Alabama.
The most important reason I think this movie is so great is because when Melanie and Jake are fighting in the kitchen you just feel like your there arguing along with them. The actors and actresses make you feel like your there too.
Also I think Sweet Home Alabama is a great movie because it is so fascinating what Melanie is going to do next. This movie will just keep your eyes glued to that television until Jake speaks his last words. Watch it and see, you're not being fooled!
Another thing I love about this movie is you will keep saying in your head "What is going to happen next? What is going to happen next?" You might not know it but inside your mind you want to know everything. You are not about to wait another minute to see this movie. New York Times gives it a Four out of Four, it's that great!
Well you know this isn't the whole story of Sweet Home Alabama but if you really want to know if Melanie stays with Jake or goes with Andrew, Don't be coming to me for the details. See it for yourself. Remember..."Sometimes what you're looking for is right where you left it!"
Fun!
posted on 24 Jul 2009Sweet Home Alabamba is a fun, engaging film. Reese Witherspoon has really come in to her own. I loved her in "Legally Blond" and she is equally good in this film. The cast of characters are enjoyable, and the plot hums along nicely. It may not win any prestigious awards, but if you are looking for a movie that is completely entertaining and pleasurable, this is the film for you.
A Cute and Enjoyable Romantic Comedy
posted on 20 Jul 2009Though this movie is by no means Oscar-worthy, it is an adorable romantic comedy with better acting and chemistry between the two main characters than most movies of this genre. In other reviews, people complained that Reese Witherspoon's character, Melanie, was selfish and unlikable but I think the fact that she's not perfect--i.e., a real person--makes the movie better. I also liked that Melanie's fiance, played by Patrick Dempsey, was consistently a good guy throughout the movie, even though she ultimately chooses her husband (played by Josh Lucas). The writers could have taken the easy way out and made her fiance turn into a jerk, thus making Melanie's choice between the two men a no-brainer. But, again, the movie shows realism in portraying life as full of hard, complex decisions. Reese Witherspoon is very good as a girl who is initially embarrassed by her roots, but ends up being proud of who she is. Josh Lucas is great as her stubborn but charming and sweet Southern husband. And, the ending is predictable, but what do you expect? It's a romantic comedy; you'd be disappointed if it wasn't what you predicted, and fortunately, this movie didn't disappoint.
Pushaaa no contest
posted on 14 Jul 2009This was definently the best movie I've ever seen. It was cute and funny and I have not met a single sole who doesnt like it. I thought the alternate ending was good but I am happy they kept the one they had. I love Jake's eyes they are so pretty!! This movie was definently an A++ no contest.
A disappointment - big one.
posted on 08 Jul 2009I can't say much without spoiling the plot. What I can say, though, this movie is a big disappointment for me and my partner. It's a waste of money and time, as we were under the impression this would've been another good romantic comedy that one can see on Saturday night. How wrong we were. It's far from sweet as it leaves bitter taste at the end of the movie.
Avoid at all cost.
Okay movie
posted on 29 Aug 2009Do not be irritated or tired of romantic comedies, because when they strike they can be the most wonderful and heart-beating fairy-tales. SWEET HOME ALABAMA takes the spot more on the comedy part, though the romance glues onto us quickly as the male character is introduced here. It doesn't seem that stupid or fake, but the whole story is a bit too cheesy and so with the acting.SWEET HOME ALABAMA takes place in the Southern boogie counties, and the entertainment spins truly around a city-girl coming back to her roots here, whether it's on the making-a-fool-of-herself part or on the I-miss-you-guys level, the movie breaks into both of this part with little originality. I didn't find the movie boring, though I did find it a bit weird while watching it too, SWEET HOME ALABAMA is about the everyday-romantic comedy.