"Why would you want to marry me for anyhow?" "So I can kiss you anytime I want"
Sweet Home Alabama is the blueprint for love triangle films everywhere. It follows Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) as she attempts to hide her southern past from her new big-shot New York fiancee (Patrick Dempsey). When Melanie travels home to Alabama to settle a dispute between her and her husband (Josh Lucas), she ends up uncovering pieces of herself she could no longer leave behind.
Before you ask: yes, they did play the song Sweet Home Alabama. Multiple times. It made me laugh.
Anyways~
Right off the bat, I will praise this film for its wonderfully executed circular plot. I am such a sucker for a full circle ending, and the whole "lightning never strikes the same place twice" concept really did it for me.
I also really enjoyed the grand gestures, as I feel this is always a winner in this genre. The proposal scene with the warehouse full of jewelers swept me off my feet. The wedding scene where they kiss in the rain on the beach made me want to squeal like a little girl.
The bottom line is: this film did the romance part exceptionally well. My only critique: there was no real buildup. We didn't really watch these characters fall in love, we watched them patch up wounds from their past in order to uncover the love that was underneath. Because of this, I didn't feel as though I could choose someone to root for.
In terms of comedy, I'd say it was severely lacking. Granted, it did have parts that were funny, but they didn't necessarily have me laughing out loud. I smiled, I maybe chuckled, but I was not blown away by the humor by any means.
I was also disappointed to find there were no montage scenes, musical numbers, or makeovers, but that's ok because the full circle ending made up for it. There were a few dramatic kiss scenes as well, so I can't be too mad.
Overall, I loved the message of never letting your life get in the way of where you came from, because there are people from your past still rooting for you. It was a little predictable and not as funny as I wanted it to be, but this film still wormed its way into my heart. That being said, I award this film #7 on my list. I'm sorry you didn't get the girl in this one, Patrick Dempsey.
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