‘Sweet Home Alabama’ (2002) Review

Sweet Home Alabama Synopsis: 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.

Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) is an up-and-coming fashion designer in New York with an incredibly handsome, wealthy boyfriend named Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) who also happens to be the Mayor’s son. After Andrew proposes to Melanie, she hightails it back to her hometown in Alabama to track down her husband, Jake (Josh Lucas), in hopes that he’ll finally sign their divorce papers.

It turns out Melanie – whose real last name is Smoot – has carved out a new life for herself in the big city, leaving behind her high school sweetheart, her family, and her friends in the process. The only problem is Jake refuses to sign the papers, and Melanie is forced to confront her past and what she left behind.

I own this movie, but honestly, I couldn’t remember much beyond a few scenes here and there. The one thing I remembered more than anything was the kiss in the rain, both at the beginning and end. I’m not entirely sure how I would have rated this romantic comedy ten years ago, but I found myself really enjoying it on my rewatch, even if some of the Southern culture jokes came across as a bit stale.

Witherspoon and Lucas have some really wonderful chemistry, but I was pleased to find Witherspoon also had some pretty good chemistry with Patrick Dempsey as well. Both men seemed good for Melanie in their own way, and it was dependent on the kind of woman Melanie truly wanted to be. I probably would have been satisfied no matter who Melanie ended up with, but I must admit I am a sucker for childhood to adult sweethearts who find their way back to each other.

Melanie is by no means a perfect heroine. She’s a bit selfish and is embarrassed by her childhood home and friends, even though it’s clear they care about her. There’s a sense of superiority around her for making her way out of the small-town life and “making something” of herself. Thankfully, the longer she’s there, the more she sees that she doesn’t necessarily need glitz and glamour to be happy. There is a scene of Melanie visiting the spot where she and Jake’s dog was buried, and I won’t lie, I shed a few tears because dogs are truly the only creatures in the world who love us unconditionally, even when we suck as humans and let them down.

I haven’t seen Josh Lucas in much, but he was really charming as Jake. He went toe to toe with Reese Witherspoon and held his own. Dempsey was the perfect choice for the other man. He’s handsome and charismatic but never came across as arrogant or simply using Melanie to irk his mother, played by Candice Bergen. Bergen seems to have perfected the role of intimidating bitch in these kinds of movies, and she’s always a delight to watch.

Sweet Home Alabama is not exactly an original, fresh contribution to the rom-com genre, but I really believe it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen this year. It has plenty of humorous moments, some incredible chemistry between our leads, and a heroine on a journey of self-discovery that feels authentic rather than contrived. Sweet Home Alabama is worth a watch for any lover of the genre.

Watched: 11/15/2020
Notable Song: Sweet Home Alabama by Jewel