For being a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, 'Sweet Home Alabama' hits all the right notes in the genre. I remember seeing 'Sweet Home Alabama' in theaters 10 years ago and dreading going to it with my girlfriend, but after the film, I found myself enjoying the experience as much as I could in a romantic comedy film that's a dome a dozen. And I think that is because of the amazing cast 'Sweet Home Alabama' has.
One of the things 'Sweet Home Alabama' has going for it other than its brilliant cast is its unorthodox storyline. Things don't turn out how you'd expect. We follow a young woman named Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) who is from deep south Alabama who moved to New York to be a high powered person in the fashion world. She has also neglected to tell her New York friends certain things about her background from being from the deep south.
Melanie is on her way to creating her own line of clothing in New York and is constantly busy with that . Luckily she has her friend Tabatha (the beautiful Rhona Mitra) to help her out along the way. After a big event for Melanie, her boyfriend Andrew Hennings (Patrick Dempsey), a wealthy son of New York Mayor Kate Hennings (Candace Bergen) takes Melanie to Tiffany's Jewelry store in Manhattan and pops the big question.
Even though Melanie is very excited to be engaged to the man of her dreams now, she has to deal with Andrew's mother, who doesn't like her, and having to deal with things back in Alabama. Not only did Melanie change her name and southern ways when she moved to New York, but she was known for getting into trouble with the law quite a bit in her small town. Add to that, she married her high-school sweet heart, Jake Perry (Josh Lucas) right out of high-school and then divorced a little while after that, but never finalized the divorce.
Now, Melanie must travel back to the slower paced life of Alabama to take care of her issues before her marriage to Andrew, which includes getting her husband to sign divorce papers and trying not to rehash her wild past. She comes across not only her parents and husband, but other friends from her past growing up and hilarity ensues.
In addition to the cast I've already mentioned, Ethan Embry, Melanie Lynskey, Jean Smart, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Mary Kay Place, Fred Ward, and Courtney Gaines rounds out the supporting cast, and everybody does a great job. The twists and turns in the plot prove that 'Sweet Home Alabama' stands out from the rest of the genre and still holds up today.
One of the things 'Sweet Home Alabama' has going for it other than its brilliant cast is its unorthodox storyline. Things don't turn out how you'd expect. We follow a young woman named Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) who is from deep south Alabama who moved to New York to be a high powered person in the fashion world. She has also neglected to tell her New York friends certain things about her background from being from the deep south.
Melanie is on her way to creating her own line of clothing in New York and is constantly busy with that . Luckily she has her friend Tabatha (the beautiful Rhona Mitra) to help her out along the way. After a big event for Melanie, her boyfriend Andrew Hennings (Patrick Dempsey), a wealthy son of New York Mayor Kate Hennings (Candace Bergen) takes Melanie to Tiffany's Jewelry store in Manhattan and pops the big question.
Even though Melanie is very excited to be engaged to the man of her dreams now, she has to deal with Andrew's mother, who doesn't like her, and having to deal with things back in Alabama. Not only did Melanie change her name and southern ways when she moved to New York, but she was known for getting into trouble with the law quite a bit in her small town. Add to that, she married her high-school sweet heart, Jake Perry (Josh Lucas) right out of high-school and then divorced a little while after that, but never finalized the divorce.
Now, Melanie must travel back to the slower paced life of Alabama to take care of her issues before her marriage to Andrew, which includes getting her husband to sign divorce papers and trying not to rehash her wild past. She comes across not only her parents and husband, but other friends from her past growing up and hilarity ensues.
In addition to the cast I've already mentioned, Ethan Embry, Melanie Lynskey, Jean Smart, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Mary Kay Place, Fred Ward, and Courtney Gaines rounds out the supporting cast, and everybody does a great job. The twists and turns in the plot prove that 'Sweet Home Alabama' stands out from the rest of the genre and still holds up today.