View All Credits 1 693.6K 126. Director Andy Tennant directed TV shows in the 1980s ("The Wonder Years," "Parker Lewis Can't Lose," "The Adventures of Brisco Country, Jr"), then moved to feature films in the mid-1990s ("It Takes Two," "Fools Rush In," "Ever After: A Cinderella Story"). Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. I thought I bombed so badly that I called my agent at the time afterward and was like, "Listen, please tell them I'm so sorry but I deserve another chance, let me go back in and do it again correctly." You can also see this in the pictures at the end of the movie. Everyone is in shock. I haven't seen her in years. Feb 27, 2003. Jake and Melanie do this as a practical joke. Where are those four characters now: Melanie, Jake, Andrew, and Melanie Lynskey's character, Lurlynn? I would do everything and anything to work with Melanie Lynskey again. Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel about Witherspoon's character's child going to college. Trivia: During the film's original outdoor reception Jake carries Melanie, who feigns death after having supposedly been struck by a lightening bolt, towards the wedding guests. "[4] "We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. I never had that mentality. Melanie confesses that she still loves Jake and cancels the wedding. Lynyrd Skynyrd originally released Sweet Home Alabama written by Ed King, Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd released it on the album Second Helping in 1974. It stars Reese Witherspoon, who plays an Alabama-born fashion designer living in NYC. ), Lucas: I frankly haven't run into Reese since making the movie. Answer: It was only humane from Melanie's skewed, immature-at-the-time perspective, believing the cat would be killed instantly. But poor Josh was whacked a good number of times. Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Tennant: Even Reese's lawyer loved the treatment. You can unsubscribe at any time. See production, box office & company info, Reese Witherspoon sweet performance makes this work. Get it? Thanks to the on-screen chemistry between Witherspoon and Lucas that fuels the movie along with the great supporting cast that included Fred Ward, Jean Smart, Melanie Lynskey, Ethan Embry, Mary Kay Place, and a very young Dakota Fanning "Sweet Home Alabama" has become a beloved rom-com classic. Kid Rock's 2008 song "All Summer Long" interpolates "Sweet Home Alabama" on the chorus and uses the guitar solo and piano outro, as well as the "turn it up" shout before the guitar solo; Billy Powell is featured on the track. At the end of the movie, when Melanie is on the beach with Jake and she goes to kiss him she has her hands on his face, but in the next shot her arms are stretched out and she wraps them around his neck. Reese Witherspoon has been a part of a number of iconic movies over the years, including a short foray into rom-coms in the early '00s.The actress worked alongside Mark Ruffalo in Just Like . Stay up to date with what you want to know. Its on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia. So I think there was an intensity to the work experience that I think in some ways Andy was able to utilize. Tennant: Yeah. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. So, its hard for me to get it back. Although the film takes place primarily in the fictional town of Pigeon Creek, near a fictional Greenville, Alabama, it was mostly shot in Georgia. I don't like what he says about colored people. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. So we kept in touch. Earl Smooter: You can't ride two horses with one ass, sugarbean. But I remember my wife and I were in Tahiti for a second honeymoon, this was like 10 years ago, and I got to talking to a couple in the pool who were also on their honeymoon and they told me they had used some of the lines that were in "Sweet Home Alabama" in their vows. In this fluff ball of a fairy tale, Reese Witherspoon is Melanie Carmichael, a rising New York fashion designer from humble Southern roots who is forced to choose between two Prince Charmings. Tennant: I wrote a treatment and a lot of it has to do with Reese's character and Melanie Lynskey's character taking their kids on a college tour. Although centered in a fictional version of the town of Pigeon Creek, near a fictional version of Greenville, Alabama, the film was mostly shot in Georgia. Arthur Bremer may or may not have been a yankee but he sure destroyed whatever chance Wallace had to be president. Tennant: That's a scene you don't expect in this kind of movie. The two return to what should have been Melanie and Andrews reception and have their first dance. D Lord, I'm C coming home to G you. It's the "almost" part that makes the movie work. And she said, "I made this movie nobody is going to see. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. All rights reserved. Tennant: What happened was Reese's daughter, Ava, went to school with my son, so I would see Reese on occasion. I was like, "Who are you?". What do they say? It was also covered by The Jacquie Young Band, Alabama, Wild Junkers, Chihiro Onitsuka and other artists. It did free me. The romantic comedy originally ended with a fake-out that Reese Witherspoons character was dead. I still like the plaque that hangs here in my office that says I'm an honorary member of the Alabama State Militiasigned personally by George C. Sure, the man had his flaws. 0; She would be great." beatles mono cd box set fake. It was only humane from Melanie's skewed, immature-at-the-time perspective, believing the cat would be killed instantly. Intimidated by the city and her success, he returned home to make something of himself first. Lucas: It never bodes well when you hear you're doing a major reshoot, but it worked out. These numbers may not look so striking now, but they were, in the context of 17 years ago, really quite something. I think he was a stock-car driver. ", Tennant: I have done two movies with Josh, I love Josh. She's great and committed, I knew she was going to be big. And I was like, "What?" You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. Now Watergate does not bother me Reese Witherspoon has good chemistry with both Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. Question: In the scene where Jake is driving Andrew to find Melanie, he tells the story about the cat. They were like, "What did you do?" She calls off the wedding and heads down to the beach to plant lightning rods to create glass sculptures, where she confesses to Jake that she still loves him. The script was just as bad as I thought it was before, but I thought the idea was great. His mother hates her, and Melanie's ex-husband hasn't signed . Josh Lucas was the first to admit in his interview with IGN that hes not the best at comedy, so he relied on his co-star, Reese Witherspoon for help. Tennant: When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, "What the fuck!" "The audience loved the movie up until that shot." Tennant: I think what happens is you get the cast you deserve Reese was coming off a huge hit with "Legally Blonde," Patrick Dempsey had done movies before but he was the '80s heartthrob and this was his start as a leading man, and then Josh was unknown so I think if there was any kind of nervousness on Josh's part he should have seen what it was like in my head. D Carry me C home to see my G kin. I think what we were going for was she's slapping him because she's embarrassed that she suddenly showed some vulnerability. This was first film to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. (01:08:15). Ed Araquel/Netflix. Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." The clips shown in the credits of the movie; is the child featured in their now happy lives, Witherspoons' daughter Ava? It is sampled by Kid Rock. They then go and dance as the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama" plays. Director Andy Tennant did test the ending too, ultimately conceding that no one though it was funny. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young: Friends or Foes? Another part of "Sweet Home Alabama" was also controversial in its reference to George Wallace, the governor of Alabama and supporter of racial segregation: In Birmingham, they love the governor (boo boo boo) In an interview with Garden & Gun, Rossington explained the writing process: "I had this little riff. I think my big takeaway for the rewrite for me and my writing partner, Rick Parks, was that in the original script, I think the fianc of Reese's character was a complete tool and the guy down South was a hunky, handsome guy. But he spoke for the common man of the South. It's just a lovely scene that has subtext, which Reese played beautifully. Spoiler warning: the ending of Sweet Home Alabama is directly discussed towards the end of this article. It's silly but it was really fun to make." But that's as close as I got. It is still roaming town because it somehow survived the attempt to blow it up and it either never had cancer or has gone into remission. Print. During Melanie and Andrew's wedding at the Carmichael estate, a lawyer arrives and halts the ceremony. It was funny on paper and then when we shot it, when Josh says "Melanie Carmichael is dead" and you cut to Mary Kay with that reaction that her daughter is dead it was just like, "Who thought this was funny?" "Sweet Home Alabama" lyrics on lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com, Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour, Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album, 20th Century Masters: The Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour, God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweet_Home_Alabama&oldid=1141674206, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Single chart usages for Billboardrocksongs, Certification Table Entry usages for Denmark, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Italy, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales figures, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 2002, the song inspired the title and plot of the film, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 06:20. Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." Jake: The only reason I ain't signing is cause you've turned into some hoity-toity Yankee bitch, and I'd like nothing better right now than to piss you off. All rights reserved. This is why Reese says, "People need a passport to come down here." In Sweet Home Alabama, she's a poor Southern lass who reinvents herself as a Big Apple socialitethen finds it almost impossible to go home again. There's this motto: Act like a movie star and people will treat you like a movie star. ", Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel to "Sweet Home Alabama.". Cast Of Sweet Home Alabama: How Much Are They Worth Now? Trivia: During the film's original outdoor reception Jake carries Melanie, who feigns death after having supposedly been struck by a lightening bolt, towards the wedding guests. Posted by Simon Brew | Nov 16, 2021 | Feature. D In Birmingham they C love the G Gov'nor F Boo C hoo D hoo ! Vinyl Records, CDs, and More from pop. At the time, it had the highest September opening weekend, surpassing Rush Hour.