Sweet Home Alabama

Review by Clint Morris

Nobody likes going home - especially if they feel like they left their hometown a failure.

Maybe you've succeeded somewhere else, but as soon as you take step into your old stomping ground you once again are one of those fruitless blips on the towns map.

Maybe it's mum or Dad you have to induce, maybe it's those old friends, maybe it's the shopkeeper, or even the guy at the local video store…

Whatever the case it's always difficult to enter your former place of residence with "these days I'm a champ" tattooed across your face - especially if you're not totally convinced yourself.

For Reese Witherspoon's character in Sweet Home Alabama, heading home to Alabama after making it in the Big Apple is nerve wracking.

Will people still see her as the lass that left her husband behind?

Will she still be remembered for the imprudent crimes she once got pinpointed for?

Will friends of years gone by hail her back with open arms? Whatever the case, it's going to be an eventful re-entrance.

A cross between Hope Floats and Doc Hollywood, Andy Tennant's Sweet Home Alabama centres on Melanie Carmichael, a promising New York-based fashion designer, who decides its time to return home to broadcast to her friends and family her recent engagement to the Mayors son, Andrew (Patrick Dempsey).

Only seconds after Melanie arrives back in Pigeon Creek, Alabama, we realise she's actually married - sort of. Husband, Jake (Josh Lucas), has never given Melanie a divorce, so this is the first thing she wants done. But after spending more time with her current husband and friends of days gone by, Melanie realises there's still a large part of "Pigeon Creek" in her - probably more so than she embodies the City.

Is she truly making the right decision by marrying city slicker Andrew?

While as predictable as a cat in water, Sweet home Alabama is still a highly enjoyable, very warm and ultimately funny film. Tennant (Ever After, Fools Rush In) fleshes out each character a lot more than another director might - and so each exudes warmth, charm and fluency.

Witherspoon is sugary sweet, and agreeably suitable as the conflicted Melanie, while newcomer Josh Lucas (The Hulk, You Can Count On Me) is amiable as the redneck with a heart of gold. The rarely seen Patrick Dempsey also fills the 'could-be-the-one city slicker' role, too, with ease.

In lesser parts, but no less effective, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Candice Bergen and Ethan Embry (TV's Freakylinks) also prove valuable additions to the films cast.

While Sweet Home Alabama will be the furthest thing from minds of Academy voters come next year, it'll still be remembered as one of this year's true surprise packages, in some ways it's a much better film than Witherspoon's recent smash Legally Blonde.

In essence, what we have here is a gorgeous, charming comedy about one woman finding her place in society -- and finding the right guy to share it with.

3.5 out of 5

Sweet Home Alabama
Australian release: Thursday December 19
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, Melanie Lynskey.
Director: Andy Tennant.
Website: Click here

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