Sweet Home Alabama MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

Young, beautiful New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) seems to have it all. Her career catapults her into the arms of Andrew (Jack Dempsey), New Yorks most eligible bachelor. However, before Melanie can set a wedding date, she must hurry back to Pigeon Creek, Alabama, to finalize her divorce from high school sweetheart Jake (Josh Lucas). That should take just a few days since Melanie left Jake seven years earlier, but a few days turns into a few weeks as she and Jake reconnect. To make matters worse, Andrew and his very opinionated mom, New York Citys mayor (Candice Bergen), appear unexpectedly to orchestrate a genteel Alabama wedding. Its great fun to watch as the snobbish New York socialites clash with Melanies Southern redneck family and friends. SWEET HOME ALABAMA will attract audiences looking for laughs and relaxation at summers end.

Like the prodigal son, Melanie is welcomed back to Pigeon Creek, even though she rejected her crude talking, beer drinking family when she became rich and famous. The former hometown, teenaged brat called Melanie Felony ultimately discovers the consequences of lying about being a Southern debutante to her New York crowd and also learns to accept her humble background. Scenes in the local country tavern include heavy drinking and some drunken behavior treated as normal. The dialogue throughout is heavily peppered with obscenities, a few regular profanities and a couple dozen crudities. Under the influence of alcohol, Melanie shocks the whole town by revealing one of the hometown faithful as homosexual. With no sexual encounters or nudity, and only one brief sock in the jaw, SWEET HOME ALABAMA could be a wholesome movie without condoned excessive drinking and foul language.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Buena Vista (Touchstone/Disney) , 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521