Rating: 
Summary: A "cute" movie but way too predictable
Review: I was disappointed after seeing Sweet Home Alabama. It was a cute film but I expected alot more from it. It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be and the story line was so predictable you could tell what was going to happen way before it did. I really liked Reese Witherspoon in "Election" so that made this movie even more of a let down. I thought her talents, and my money were wasted on this film.
Rating: 
Summary: delightful chick flick
Review: Sweet Home Alabama
***** +
I Loved This Delightfull Movie. It Is One Of My Faves. Reese Witherspoon Is Good At Looking Great And Acting Better. The Comedy Is Great If Not Quirky. I'm Definetly Adding This To My Collection When It Comes Out. It Is Strongly Reccomended Especially If You Want To See Candice Bergin Get Punched In The Face By Reese Witherspoon. The Only Way It Could Have Been Better Is If Fred Ward Was In It More.
Rating:
Summary: America has a new sweetheart in Reese
Review: ...
The motion picture which affirms Witherspooon's position is "Sweet Home Alabama," a motion picture which resembles in style and simple good natured charm such previous romantic comedy hits as "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally."
I have been a longtime admirer of Witherspoon's work from the coming of age drama "The Man in the Moon," to the campy "Legally Blonde." Throughout her short career Witherspoon has demonstrated her charisma and wide range through a number of eclectic projects and once again she brings to life another interesting and downright likeable character.
Quite simply put, "Sweet Home Alabama" is the most fun I have had in a movie theater for quite some time. The script by newcomer Douglas J. Eboch and C. Jay Cox is tight and moves along at a breakneck speed, the acting is superb, the production design and costumes are impressive and realistic and the direction by Andy (Ever After) Tennant shines.
There are a number of levels to "Sweet Home Alabama" at once it is a romantic comedy, at others a fish out of water drama and at other times a commentary on small town values as opposed to surburbanized snobbery. It works on all these levels and delivers in spades on almost every aspect of production.
"I wanted to do a love story where the decision came down to a great guy or the right guy," said Tennant in the production notes for the movie.
Witherspoon stars as New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael who suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor played with appropriate sophistication by Patrick (Will & Grace) Dempsey. All would be good and well except Melanie is already married, to her high school sweetheart Jake who refuses to divorce her.
Determined to tie up this and all the other loose ends in her hometown in Alabama, Melanie sneaks home to confront her past only to rediscover herself and the smalltown girl that she has attempted to keep hidden for several years.
For Dempsey, the movie is "a love story and a comedy - and the comedy comes from the concept of North versus the South - the city and the country - and how much the people from each region interact and how they misunderstand each other."
Familiar to the television audience as Murphy Brown veteran actress Candice Bergen provides the necessary touch of class and style as Kate, the mayor of New York City and apparent future mother-in-law of Melanie.
Many of the funniest moments in the movie come from Kate's reaction to the engagement and the stark contract between not only the North and the South, but also the high rolling fashion society of New York City and the flannel shirt, baseball hat style of down-home country folk.
Easily the most amiable characters in the movie are the Alabama natives whose genuine nature is at odds with the superficial masks worn by the metropolitan set. Bringing the roles of Melanie's father and mother to life are respected actors Fred Ward as Earl, her father and Mary Kay Place as her mother Pearl.
Well known as the secret admirer of Jennifer Love Hewitt in the underrated "Can't Hardly Wait" Ethan Embry emerges as one of the true surprises of "Sweet Home Alabama" delivering a strong mature and hilarious perfomance as Bobby Ray, Melanie's closeted gay friend. Rounding out the cast is the Emmy award winning versatile actress Jean Smart who ably carries off the role of Jake's mother, Stella Kay.
The movie has received a mixed bag of reviews from other media outlets. The New York Times unkindly referred to the film as "a ball of fluff" and Entertainment Weekly stated it was "stereotyped and pandering." More positive were the notices coming from Variety which noted the "promising charm with a heaping side portion of down-home warmth" and E! Online which hailed the film as a "light romantic comedy with more smarts than it really needs."
I would venture to say the negative reviewers missed the point of the movie, yes it does not take itself too seriously, it's a comedy after all and it pokes fun at the very stereotyped nature the Entertainment Weekly critic noted.
With an estimnated weekend box office take of $$$ million and an appeal that reportedly "crossed all demographics" the audience appears to agree and I heartily recommend this movie for anyone looking for a good dose of good natured fun at the theater.
"Sweet Home Alabama" runs 102 minutes and is rated PG-13.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute Romantic Fluff and the Wonderful Reese
Review: Ah, the sweet presence of Reese Witherspoon hits the big screen again in the new romantic comedy, Sweet Home Alabama. Reese is a rising NYC fashion designer who has just been proposed to by the man of her dreams. Only problem is, she has to go home and divorce the husband she already has - in Alabama. Sweet Home Alabama contains the same predictable romantic comedy plot you've seen a dozen times, but this movie had a sweet something to it that makes it likable. Most likely, on my behalf, it was Reese Witherspoon herself. The girl is the perfect leading lady, and she carried her part here very well. But for others, it could be that the story's pace was at a constant speed with cute a little humouristic every now and then and a few laugh out loud moments. We meet the group of quirky characters as the movie rolled along. They're all witty in their own way. In addition to Reese Witherspoon, the cast was great. Patrick Dempsey is the rich politics guy for Reese, and played the snoot with heart very great. Josh Lucas handled his redneck charm well and hit the humour marks on the dot. Great performance. Fred Ward and Mary Kay Place were hilarious as Reese's parents, and Candice Bergen plays the overprotective mother in a comedy thing again. Also, Ethan Embry is here, and he added smiles and charm to the film. I can't recall seeing him in a movie in a while. Sweet Home Alabama's romantic fluff and quaint humour makes it for the perfect date flick, and for any fan of Reese Witherspoon, it's a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Sit back and enjoy
Review: If you are like me and want to escape from work.Then this
is the movie for you.It is a feel good movie that is pretty
funny and will make you relax.I was smiling through the
whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and heartwarming
Review: Reese Witherspoon gives an unforgettable performance as Melanie (Smooter) Carmichael, a New York fashion designer that has come out on her own and is making a name for herself. She is dating one of New Yorks most eligible bachelors when he proposes to her. This bachelor's mother just happens to be Candace Bergen who is the mayor of New York. Candance provides a great performance as the snooty mayor who is always the politician. Her performance brought me back to the old Murphy Brown days. Needless to say, Melanie hasn't been divorced from her childhood sweetheart and now is trying to get the divorce before the wedding. The events that lead up to the "divorce" and "wedding" are hysterical. Reese's performance proves that you "can" go back home. Sweet Home Alabama is, whatever one is calling, a chick flick but it holds it's own and is funny & heartwarming. Hearing the song "Sweet Home Alabama" brought back memories and, unfortunately, made me feel old, but that's nothing against the movie. This is a good matinee movie or even an evening movie with a bunch of your friends.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe You Can Go Home Again!!
Review: Sweet Home Alabama, which stars the adorable Reese Witherspoon (Election, Legally Blonde), is a homespun delightful movie. In my opinion, it is a welcome relief to those of us who dislike violent or depressing movies. You actually walk out of the theater humming the song with a wide smile on your face. Melanie played by Reese Witherspoon is a charming fashion designer who is being courted by the son of the Mayor of New York City. Embarking for an evening out, the young couple arrive at Tiffany's where Andrew proposes to Melanie. Trying to keep their engagement a secret, though, is hard to do and suddenly the Mayor, played by Candice Bergen, is planning a wedding for several hundred at The Plaza. Only problem is not only isn't Melanie from a wealthy and old Southern family as she's led others to believe, but she is also still married to her childhood sweetheart Jake played by Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind). Now Melanie must return to sweet home Alabama and obtain Jake's signature on the divorce papers which he has stubbornly refused to do all of these years.. What ensues is a down home Southern yarn, complete with a reenactment scene from the Civil War, which leads to sorts of revelations. I really enjoyed this movie. While it was refreshing and humorous, it also offered several warm and tender moments. The cast was well chosen and included some memorable actors. Among them was Candice Bergen, Mary Kay Place as Melanie's mother with Fred Ward as Melanie's father and Jean Smart as Jake's mother. Adding to the enjoyment was the beautifully photographed scenery from Florida and Georgia and a first rate soundtrack which I still can hear several days later. I do recommend you see this movie reminiscent of the great Frank Capra films of the past. And see if you don't find life in Sweet Home Alabama truly sweet.
Rating:
Summary: There's a new girl in town!
Review: So Witherspoon's performance in Legally Blonde was fantastic! Well she's getting better! Having been gone through playing dumb gals (Legally Blonde) and a bitchy bratty baby sister (Rachel's sister-F.R.I.E.N.D.S) Reese has now showed us a great performance as a Julia Roberts character. She has a natural charm that helps you to forget about the movie's weak points. It's a romantic comedy! The movie was sweet and funny. Quite breezy! It has a great cast ensemble and is for every Witherspoon fanatic! It's a cute flick- Reese stands out but easily fits in again! So what were the finer points in the film? I'd have to say it was the charming actress and the dialogue. What was rotten? -It's some unnecessary scenes and a few weak complications in the story. Still I loved it. Is she a businesswoman or the opposite- it's all very cute! New York's trendy designer Melanie Carmichael (played by Reese Witherspoon) abruptly discovers herself being engaged to a guy. But Melanie is married to Jake, who refuses to divorce her. Resolute to finish their litigious past, Melanie goes back home to Alabama to face up to her past, only to find out that she couldn't possibly forget her life in the South. It's really worth a check but it was pretty predictable. You know what's going to happen, you can guess, and you'll usually be right. Still the movie was made with the highlight being the charming Reese not the story- so yeah watch it!
Rating:
Summary: Star Power
Review: Reese Witherspoon shares a couple of things with the best movie "Blonds" of the past like Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, Jean Harlow, Carol Lombard, Goldie Hawn, etc: a facility with both comedy and drama. Without question, especially after her success in "Legally Blond" and now "Sweet Home Alabama," Witherspoon is now a Star. She is a potent mixture of intelligence, ditzy-ness and sensuality and uses these traits to elevate the story and direction of "SHA" into a sweet and warm-hearted success. Witherspoon plays Melanie Carmichael, a NYC fashion designer who must go home to Alabama to seek a quickie divorce from her first husband (Josh Lucas) after being proposed to by her boyfriend, a politician (Patrick Dempsey).
All manner of circumstance ensues that prevent Melanie from leaving Alabama immediately and therein lays the conflict that propels the movie forward.
There are some good performances, really cameos from Fred Ward, May Kay Place, Candice Bergen and Jean Smart. Josh Lucas finally graduates from the smarmy, greasy roles he played in "Dead Calm" and "Session 9" but he brings a bit of baggage from those films to his role here that adds resonance to what is basically a reactive rather than active role.
But don't fool yourself; this movie is all about Reese, Reese, Reese. And she delivers the goods in spades.
Rating:
Summary: Never forget who you are...
Review: I was a bit hesitant to watch this film at first because romantic-love-triangle-comedies all end the same way. Plus before the movie started, the audience was packed with high school teenagers with their cellphones. (They could litterally fiddle around with them for hours while looking seemingly busy.) But my mom insisted and I obliged. Anyways, the movie turned out to be pretty sweet and heartwarming. Melanie Carmichael (aka Melanie Smooter), played by Reese Witherspoon, is an up-and-coming New York City fashion designer who has just been proposed to by Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), the mayor's son. (Quite an impressive proposal I might add, with the Tiffany store open just for them.) There's only one problem, she's still legally married to Jake (Josh Lucas) in Alabama. That's where the real story begins. Melanie drives back to her hometown and nags Jake to sign the divorce papers. He drags his feet while Melanie gets some time to get reacquainted with his family and friends, whom she left for seven years. She desperately wants to believe that she's a whole new person (with the last-name change and all), and ends up hurting the ones who love her. Does she get her divorce and who will she be with in the end? Ah, for that you'll have to watch the film! I think the more interesting aspect of this film is watching Melanie come to her senses and acknowledge her roots. In New York, she might have had to cover up who she really is to get to where she's at -- changing her last name and fabricating a tall tale about her family. But it was a lie waiting to be exposed. When she goes back to Alabama and brings this pompous personality back with her she is reminded that it won't get her anything but the disappointed looks of her friends and family; the people she left behind. In a nutshell, even though the ending was relatively predictable, the story is poignant enough and had sufficient humorous scenes in it to keep the audience hooked. (I particularly liked it when Melanie realizes that being married to Jake means that they still have a joint account at the local bank.) Also, I think Reese Witherspoon gave a good performance, and it's always nice to see Candice Bergan in a frenzy. This is one of the better romantic comedies I've seen this year. LEAP rating (each out of 5):
============================
L (Language) - 3 (Cute, has its sentimental moments. Never boring.)
E (Erotica) - 0 (n/a)
A (Action) - 0 (n/a)
P (Plot) - 3 (In order to get married, Melanie must get a divorce, but going home and realizing how much she's left behind forces her to reconsider.)
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