Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

A young woman with a Southern background runs away from her husband in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New York socialite.

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writers:

Douglas J. Eboch (story), C. Jay Cox (screenplay)

Stars:

Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reese Witherspoon	...	Melanie Smooter
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

Storyline

Melanie Carmichael, 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 fiancée of New York City. But when he proposes to her, she doesn't forget about her family back down South. More importantly, her husband back there, who refuses to divorce her ever since she sent divorce papers seven years ago. To set matters straight, she decides to go to the south quick and make him sign the papers. When things don't turn out the way she planned them, she realizes that what she had before in the south was far more perfect than the life she had in New York City.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | new york city | alabama | marriage | fashion designer | 

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Taglines:

Fall... in love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language/sexual references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

No me olvides

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$198,788 (Japan) (13 June 2003)

Gross:

$526,003 (Japan) (20 June 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Original Film, D&D Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first movie to be allowed to shoot in New York after the 11 September 2001 attacks.

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Goofs

In the graveyard, after Jake tells Melanie to leave, she bumps into the "stone" dog on top of a grave marker, which wobbles more than a loosely-fixed decoration would, revealing that it is made of foam.

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Quotes

Melanie Carmichael: Hi honey! Looking good! How's the family?
Jake: Cut the shit! Where's my stuff?
Melanie Carmichael: Now what kind of wife would I be if I didn't pick up after my husband?
Jake: The kind that don't live here! Now I'm gonna ask you one last time, where is the hide-a-key?
Melanie Carmichael: I had the sweetest talk with Wade's mama about her tractor.
Jake: Nice to see you got your accent back.
Melanie Carmichael: Oh, I stubbled across a few things today.
Jake: Holy shit, what happened to the stove? Oh and where are them little magnets I had over here huh? What the hell is this? ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits some photos are shown with the cast. In a sequence of them Melanie's parents are "scared" by a punk with a pierced tongue, Mel's co-worker from the beginning of the movie, who comments on her accent when she dreams.

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Connections

Referenced in After Lately: A-list BFF (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Home Alabama"
Written by Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, and Edward King
Performed by Cornbread

User Reviews

Reese Witherspoon sweet performance makes this work

Reese Witherspoon terrific heartfelt performance makes this movie work. I originally had my doubts about seeing this one but I bought the DVD and I highly enjoyed the movie. Reese Witherspoon has good chemistry with both Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. The film although predictable is full of funny moments and a lot of heart.