Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
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A successful New York fashion designer must return to her Alabama roots to finalize a divorce from her long-lost first love.
The story
Melanie Smooter, a successful New York City fashion designer, has spent years hiding her humble Southern roots under the name 'Carmichael.' When a wealthy man named Andrew Hennings proposes, she is forced to return to her hometown of Pigeon Creek, Alabama. Her goal is to finalize a divorce from her estranged husband, Jake, whom she married as a teenager and left years ago. However, her return complicates matters as she must navigate her past, her family's expectations, and the scrutiny of Andrew's mother, the Mayor of New York City, who is skeptical of Melanie's background.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with a flashback of 10-year-old Jake and Melanie in Alabama, where they declared themselves soulmates. In the present, Melanie is a successful designer in New York who has hidden her past. Upon returning to Alabama to finalize her divorce from Jake, she faces resistance from him. After a night of drinking and a confrontation, she finds the signed papers on her bed. She also navigates a situation where she must maintain her 'New York' persona in front of her family and a suspicious reporter. She eventually learns that Jake followed her to New York but returned home due to his own insecurities. During the wedding preparations, Andrew discovers her true identity and initially leaves, but later returns to apologize. At the wedding, Melanie's lawyer reveals she never actually signed the divorce papers. Realizing she still loves Jake, she cancels the wedding to Andrew and finds Jake at a beach. They reconcile and marry, eventually starting a life together in both Alabama and New York.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andy Tennant
- Writers
- C. Jay Cox · screenplay; Douglas J. Eboch · story
- Cast and characters
- Reese Witherspoon · Melanie; Josh Lucas · Jake; Patrick Dempsey · Jake; Fred Ward · Earl; Mary Kay Place · Pearl; Jean Smart · Kate; Candice Bergen · Candice Bergen
- Genres
- romantic comedy; romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- identity; past vs. present; romance
- Tone and mood
- romantic; light-hearted
- Setting
- Pigeon Creek, Alabama and New York City.
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; comedy; fish out of water
- Source material / true-story basis
- Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 song of the same name
- Reception
- The film received unfavorable critical reception but was a success at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 38% · scale: percentage · review count: 160; Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The film's title is derived from a 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd song.; It held the record for the highest September opening weekend until 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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