Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

A young woman who's reinvented herself as a New York City socialite must return home to Alabama to obtain a divorce from her husband, after seven years of separation.

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writers:

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

Stars:

Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Josh Lucas

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

divorce | husband wife relationship | gay friend | firefly | new york city | 

---

Taglines:

To friere er en for mange... spesielt når du allerede er gift med den ene...

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

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:

Melanie's Getting Married

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,648,740, 29 September 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$127,223,418

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$53,399,006

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

Keni Thomas, lead singer of the band Cornbread that plays in the fair scene, is a real-life survivor of Task Force Ranger and is portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down (2001) (the trooper with the inhaler).

---

Goofs

When Melanie's lawyer, Mr. Buford, tries to find Melanie, he asks the townspeople if they know where Melanie Carmichael is. But, if Buford is handling her divorce, he would have to know her real last name--Smooter--otherwise he couldn't get the divorce granted. Divorces can only be granted to the same persons who were married, and Melanie Carmichael never existed, much less married Jake.

---

Quotes

Jake: C'mon, I wanna show you something.
Melanie Carmichael: I can't.
Jake: Can't? Or won't?
Melanie Carmichael: Both.
Jake: The girl I knew used to be fearless.
Melanie Carmichael: The girl you knew didn't have a life.
Jake: Guess you better get on with it then.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.7 (2008)

---

Soundtracks

Gonna Make You Love Me
Written by Ryan Adams
Performed by Ryan Adams
Courtesy of Lost Highway Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

I surrender

I'm no historian on the subject of the American Civil War, but, in spite of its flaws, I surrender to 'Sweet Home Alabama'because of the charm of Reese Witherspoon. She is such a good actress that you do begin to wonder what she is doing in a fluffy romantic comedy like this, especially as it is definitely not as good as 'Legally Blonde'. But I'm glad she is in it, because it is just like an old-fashioned studio 'vehicle', tailored to suit her upcoming stardom. Once you adjust to the slowish pace, the movie is worth staying with, in spite of its predictability. I mean, how many romantic comedies aren't predictable? There is a good supporting cast. I especially liked her parents, who really felt as if they were actually the characters they portrayed. Josh Lucas, who impressed in 'A Beautiful Mind' is a good match for Reese's character, and he helps play down the sugar-sweetness with a grittier performance than is usual in such films. This isn't great, but definitely watchable, with Reese Witherspoon now confirmed as the biggest threat to Julia Roberts' throne as chief actress in Hollywood. Kirsten Dunst is only just around the corner, though...