Relying
on leftover charm from Legally Blonde, the 2001 summer sleeper hit, Sweet
Home Alabama is another predictable star-vehicle made to cash-in on the
lucrative charisma of its leading lady. Rarely have movies dependent on celebs-as-story-crutches
been notable, as shown by this pic which stars the talented Reese Witherspoon. And although
Witherspoon is entertaining enough to carry movies without the support of
overpaid celebrities, as proven in the gritty Freeway, her role in this
passable romantic-comedy could’ve been filled by dozens of other established
actress’.
An
uplifting Julia Roberts-like comedy (before Ms. Erin Brockovich won the
Oscar), where the heroine is put through so many tribulations we wonder how she
avoids nervous breakdowns, Sweet Home Alabama has heart, even though the
thumps are muffled by mainstream conventions. The film centers
around sweet southerner Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon), a
highly-profiled New York fashion designer whose latest clothing line is receiving great
word-of-mouth. Dating Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), New York’s most eligible
bachelor and son of the mayor (Candice Bergen), her Alabamian roots were cutoff
seven years ago. But when Andrew proposes marriage, Melanie needs to return
south and settle some unfinished business, like divorcing her redneck husband,
Jake (Josh Lucas).
The
banter between Melanie and Jake is amusing, since he refuses to sign the divorce
papers, but asides from their teasing argument, which is solved midway through,
when the film should’ve ended, Alabama doesn’t have much else going
for it. Set in the same small-town where Melanie was raised, the townsfolk, who
all remember her as a vandalizing teenager, are nothing but carbon-copy cutouts
from films such as Beautiful Girls. And worst of all, the only reason
they exist is to add layers of background for our protagonist and her shallow
personality. But it’s an old hound-dog, whose barks and grumbles are an
ongoing gag that indicates the screenplay is tapped-out of ideas after the
central conflict emerges.
More
about self-discovery than romantic-triangles, Sweet Home Alabama stands
as another “be yourself” parable. Though Melanie left Alabama to establish a
successful career in Manhattan, she still feels for her hometown community and
its locals. This plot device does allow for touching moments of coming-to-terms
with the past, but as already mentioned, it’s been done countless times by
better movies.
Witherspoon does what’s expected of her; smiling too much, crying too much, falling in and out of love too much…all while retaining that unfiltered charm. Taking roles like this forces Witherspoon to lose touch with indie fans, those who prefer her in movies like Election' Instead, the 26-year-old actress simply fills Julia Roberts' 'cutesy' persona. Surely Witherspoon will assume better parts in better films, but with her latest performance, she’s simply giving mainstream audiences what they crave. Shaun Sages
GRADE: C
-Copyright
2002 by Shaun Sages