Some life journeys bring us back to the point where we started. Andy Tennant’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ charts the journey of Melanie Smooter/Carmichael (Reece Witherspoon). After leading a rough and ready start to life Melanie chooses to escape the clutches of her home town Alabama along with the clutches of an unhappy marriage to Jake (Luke Perry) to make a new life for herself in New York.
She becomes a successful fashion designer in New York and takes the eye of Andrew Hennings (Patrick Dempsey), the son of New York Mayor Kate Hennings (Candice Bergen). Andrew wants to marry her however she has to entangle herself from her marriage to Jake who doesn’t want to give her a divorce. Necessity makes her go back back home to Alabama in an attempt to find some resolution. Her journey back home brings up a whole Pandora’s box of issues to deal with.

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ is a charming and enjoyable with many fine qualities. The story is a heart warmer, with romance at its heart. Who will Melanie choose, the gentle giant, high flyer from New York or will she return to her grumpy old man in Alabama?! I loved the quirky Southern characters. Memorable was Fred Ward as Melanie’s eccentric father, Earl. The leads were strong, Reese Witherspoon’s sweet look and Luke Perry’s redneck roughness. Patrick Dempsey was a stand-out as Andrew Hennings, with a graceful performance reminiscent of the best of Rupert Everett.
A fine film. Well, one would expect good things from a movie that takes its title from one of the best songs written by rock legend Neil Young!