Sweet Home Alabama (film)

Infobox Film
name = Sweet Home Alabama


director = Andy Tennant
producer = David Brown
Michael Tolkin
writer = Douglas J. Eboch (story)
C. Jay Cox (screenplay)
starring = Reese Witherspoon
Josh Lucas Patrick Dempsey
Fred Ward
Candice Bergen
Mary Kay Place
distributor = Touchstone Pictures
released = September 27, 2002
runtime = approximately 109 min.
language = English
budget = US$38,000,000 (estimated)
imdb_id = 0256415
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"Sweet Home Alabama" is a 2002 romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant and stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. The film was released on September 27, 2002.

Plot

The story is a love triangle involving two childhood Alabama sweethearts who married but became estranged, Jake Perry and Melanie Smooter (Lucas and Witherspoon), and Melanie's longtime boyfriend Andrew Hennings (Dempsey).

Melanie is a successful yet expectant fashion designer. When she becomes engaged to Andrew, the son of the mayor of New York City, Melanie announces that she has to go back home alone to Alabama to tell her parents in person. Her private reason is to demand a divorce from Jake. She has not told Andrew that she is still married.

Jake refuses to divorce her until one night she gets drunk and explains to everyone in the bar that the reason she married Jake was because she was pregnant, and she later had a miscarriage. Jake becomes angry with her and takes her home. When she wakes up the next morning, the divorce papers are laying on her bed signed by Jake.

Melanie learns that Jake had once gone to New York City to try to find her, because he still loved her. That night, she goes to the cemetery to tell her old coon dog Bear good bye. Jake shows up and explains how he told the dog that her disappearance was his fault and they end up talking about why the marriage didn't work, the baby they lost, and why she left. Jake gives a blessing for Melanie to have a good life with Andrew, but Melanie says she can't do it and kisses Jake. Jake pushes her away, however, and tells her to go home.

The next day, Andrew arrives in town. Jake meets him and discovers that he is Melanie's boyfriend. Jake, identifying himself as Melanie's cousin, brings Andrew to Melanie. Andrew finds out that Melanie is still married to Jake and runs off angrily.

Melanie returns to her parents' house where her father walks in with Andrew. Andrew tells her how sorry he is and how he wants to still marry her. They decide to have the wedding in Alabama and Andrew's mother comes down from New York. On her wedding day, as she is walking down the aisle, and her lawyer shows up and explains that Jake signed the divorce papers, but she didn't. Melanie decides to not sign the papers, and that she doesn't want to marry Andrew, because she still loves Jake. She runs away from her wedding to go find Jake, who is on the same beach where, years ago, ten-year-old Jake had told her that he wanted to marry her "so I can kiss you anytime I want."

Melanie tells him that she didn't marry Andrew, because she wanted to be with him so that she could kiss him whenever she wanted too. As Jake and Melanie kiss, Wade, the town sheriff, interrupts them by handcuffing them and taking them back to Stella's, Jake's mother's bar, where all of their friends and family are waiting. Jake says he owes Melanie a dance, and as Stella is ready to put on the song, Melanie tells her to make it a slow one. "Sweet Home Alabama" starts and Melanie kisses Jake.

As the credits roll, the audience finds out that Jake and Melanie had a daughter together and that Andrew got married.

Cast

Reception

Box office

Generating the biggest opening of September, the film grossed over $35 million in its first weekend. By the end of its run in the U.S., "Sweet Home Alabama" grossed over $127 million and another $53,399,006 internationally. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256415/business Sweet Home Alabama (2002) - Box office / business ] ]

Critical reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. On the film's Rotten Tomatoes listing, 37% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 153 reviews. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sweet_home_alabama/ Sweet Home Alabama Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes ] ] The film also won the following awards:

*2003 BMI Film Music Award - George Fenton
*2003 Teen Choice Award - Movie - Comedy
*2003 Teen Choice Award - Movie - Liplock - Reese Witherspoon; Josh Lucas
*2003 Teen Choice Award nomination - Movie - Actress - Reese Witherspoon
*2003 Teen Choice Award nomination - Movie - Villain - Candice Bergen
*2003 GLAAD Media Award nomination - Outstanding Film - Wide Release
*2003 Golden Trailer Award nomination - Best Romance
*2003 Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award nomination - Best Contemporary Hair Styling - Feature - Anne Morgan
*2003 MTV Movie Award nomination - Best Female Performance - Reese Witherspoon

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0256415|title=Sweet Home Alabama
*rotten-tomatoes|id=sweet_home_alabama|title=Sweet Home Alabama