"Sweet Home Alabama" conceived as a simple "star vehicle" for Reese Witherspoon is advertised as a "romantic comedy". It's is quite formulaic, and surely no one entering the theater (or renting the video or DVD)has any doubt as to with whom Reese's Melanie Charmichael (Smooter) will end up with when the closing credits start to roll.

Herein lies the basic fault, however, with this interpretation of a tried and true plotline: by the end of the film it seems apparent that both of the two men in Melanie's life would be far better off without her. After accepting a proposal of marriage by the handsome and ambitious son of the May of New York City, Melanie proceeds back home to Alabama to finalize her divorce from her high school (and childhood) sweetheart, whom she abandoned seven years before, but has refused to sign the divorce papers. Upon returning to her modest roots (at variance with the more gentile upbringing she has led her New York friends and followers to believe) she insults her parents and old friends, becomes drunk (and mean) and vomits into her former husband's truck; let the hilarity ensue! In the meantime, in the part of the movie where the new fiancee is supposed to be revealed as boorish, vain and superficial, quite the opposite occurs, and the viewer is left with a very sympathetic view of the upperclass New York society man, who truly loves Melanie, and forgives her untruthfulness. Melanie's former husband, having set out to win Melanie back by making a success of himself in the intervening years discovers her to be the shallow superficial snob of the movie. Why then, would he want her back? Why did Melanie make up the story of a plantation upbringing anyway? She's just a conniving, lying, scheming, mean drunk.Where is the romance? Where is the comedy? Certainly not in Alabama.

"Sweet Home Alabama" was a nice pleasant romantic comedy. What made this film I think was the performance of Resse Witherspoon, her character starts off unlikeable, but in the latter half of the film we see a change of heart to her being more sympathetic. Witherspoon played her very convincingly, being her usual likable self, and she is amiably supported by Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen and Josh Lucas. There is also a nice soundtrack, good direction, beautiful scenery and good cinematography. While essentially a pleasant film, the film is let down by some sluggish pacing and a slow and sometimes predictable story that meanders at the end. Also one or two characters are a little clichéd. In conclusion, this is not perfect by all means but it is worth watching and pleasant. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Together with Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde movies Reese Witherspoon got her career role in Sweet Home Alabama, This one must have been real popular in the red states.

Witherspoon is a highly successful and up and coming close designer in New York and she's just gotten rather publicly engaged to Patrick Dempsey whose character is no doubt based on JFK, Jr. It's a dream come true, but there's one small hitch in the design. Seems like she never quite got around to divorcing her good old boy husband from her hometown.

So it's back to Alabama to get Josh Lucas to sign the decree. But he's not willing at least not yet. And while she's now Ms. New York sophisticate it doesn't take long for Witherspoon let's the Alabama flow in her.

This is a most old fashioned type of film and I'm not surprised that Buena Vista the distribution arm of Walt Disney films brought this one out. Witherspoon is winning and wonderful and Alabama has it's best foot forward in this film.

Candice Bergen is in this film as Dempsey's mother who is the Mayor of New York and she's clearly modeled on a most unflattering portrait of Hillary Clinton. She should have gotten some Oscar recognition for her work here.

A nice score of country music is part of the soundtrack. Sweet Home Alabama is a winner for Reese Witherspoon and the audience.