Opened: September 27, 2002

Directed by: Andy Tennant

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Ethan Embry, Melanie Lynskey, Courtney Gains, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Rhona Mitra, Nathan Lee Graham, Kevin Sussman, Thomas Curtis, Dakota Fanning & Candice Bergen

One of the great rom-coms of the early 2000s, Sweet Home Alabama is still a joy to watch and holds up mostly in a good light.

After Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) proposes, Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) must fly home to Alabama to secure a divorce from her estranged husband Jake (Josh Lucas). Though she has trouble fitting back in at first, Melanie starts to realize her home wasn’t such a bad place.

The film is perfectly cast led by the reliable Witherspoon, whose charm oozes off the screen. Dempsey and Lucas both embody great love interests, and you’ll feel bad for whomever she doesn’t choose.

Other than its Confederacy sympathies, the film presents the South in a good light. Ethan Embry’s LGBTQ+ storyline as Bobby Ray is handled very tastefully for its time and setting.

Final say: Sweet as pie. ★★★★★