In the two decades since it was made, "Sweet Home Alabama" went from an unwanted script to a surprise box-office hit to a rom-com classic. By this stage in the early 2000s, shed built a career quickly and impressively off a mix of very smart choices and very savvy commercial picks. It's now been 15 years since the film was released, so here's a look back at 7 things you probably didn't know about Sweet Home Alabama! When Tennant and Parks handed in the rewrite, one of the major notes from the studio was that the proposal Andrew gives Melanie at the beginning of the movie wasn't special enough. [6] For a decade, the film would hold this record until 2012 when Hotel Transylvania took it. But in the original ending, there was a fake-out that made audiences believe that Melanie died out on that beach. The song is credited to Matthew Shafer, Waddy Wachtel, R.J. Ritchie, Leroy Marinell, Warren Zevon, Edward King, Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant. Then Ronnie wrote the lyrics and Ed and I wrote the music."[10]. You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. We were the first movie to shoot there on the location since "Breakfast at Tiffany's.". And I was like, "What!?! Filming in New York City. "All Summer Long" also samples Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", which has similar chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". (Witherspoon's rep told Insider she was unavailable to be interviewed for this story. He has the divorce papers, which Melanie hadn't signed. Free or royalty-free photos and images. Written by C. Jay Cox, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. The film takes its title from the 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd song of the same name. Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics . We had to build a fake dog head to come out of the water because the dog was just in an ideal world that dog was supposed to jump into the water. Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." Tennant: I was given the script; it wasn't very good. Spoiler warning: the ending of Sweet Home Alabama is directly discussed towards the end of this article. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a critical score of 38% based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 5.19/10. It's a rather predictable romance that has a couple of twists and turns but nothing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Melanie visits Jake, who has repeatedly refused to sign divorce papers over the years since she left for New York. Melanie confesses that she still loves Jake and cancels the wedding. He claimed that the song was originally intended as the unabashed defense of Alabama, and even Wallace, that the song appears to be: {{blockquote|I can understand where the "boo boo boo" would be misunderstood. I was so uncomfortable and felt it wasn't working. New York fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. It was a real surprise that my life and career were going to change over this. 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. I would do everything and anything to work with Melanie Lynskey again. That's exactly what happened, though. In the present day, Melanie is a successful New York fashion designer who has adopted the surname "Carmichael" to hide her poor Southern roots. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. Period.'" Lucas: I know Andy has written something but I've never read it. Reese brings that in the scene and I think I do too. I mean, truly attacked. It's a movie you'll forget you ever saw. But it's still one of the best choices I ever made. D I miss'ole' ' C bamy once a G gain (and I think it's a sin) D Well, I heard ole C Neil put her G down. Reese Witherspoon was just coming off the success of "Legally Blonde" when she agreed to play the southern troublemaker turned New York City fashion designer Melanie Carmichael. Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant. There was a silence on the phone for quite a while. Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback. Tennant: When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, "What the fuck!" Both Josh Lucas and Reese Witherspoon are from the south. Wanneer u onze sites en apps gebruikt, gebruiken we, gebruikers authenticeren, veiligheidsmaatregelen toepassen en spam en misbruik voorkomen, en, gepersonaliseerde advertenties en content weergeven op basis van interesseprofielen, de effectiviteit meten van gepersonaliseerde advertenties en content, en, onze producten en services ontwikkelen en verbeteren. These numbers may not look so striking now, but they were, in the context of 17 years ago, really quite something. Lucas would be so serious in some takes that Tennant would call him "Ralph," referring to the actor Ralph Fiennes, so he would loosen up. My memory was that Andy felt I'm the guy and then he really went to bat for me. Charlize Theron was considered for the lead role before Reese Witherspoon was cast. So I think there was an intensity to the work experience that I think in some ways Andy was able to utilize. In the original scene, she slaps him and walks away. This could mean that the Sang-wook we see in the final scene is in fact Ui . Copyright 2000-2023 Dreamstime. Expand. Lucas: I was scared of being famous. The coonhound cemetery was on Moore Street in Crawfordville and the bar was located at Heavy's Barbecue near the town. ", Tennant: There was never a named actor attached to play Jake. Does your conscience bother you? The early stuff in the movie, Melanie coming to Jake's house with the divorce papers for him to sign, we rehearsed that and there's a friction in the relationship and a real sense of love and passion underneath the surface. People still revisit it not as a guilty pleasure but more as a soothing pleasure. She's recalling the life she had with Jake and the baby they lost due to her miscarriage. It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song "Southern Man", which the band felt blamed the entire South for American slavery; Young is name-checked and dissed in the lyrics. The clips shown in the credits of the movie; is the child featured in their now happy lives, Witherspoons' daughter Ava? When Melanie's mom says stuff like, "Go get them Yankees," and we play it for laughs, I don't know. caitlyn smith starfire vinyl. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including Jake (Josh Lucas), the . When I did the rewrite with Rick, I don't think she was a fan and so everybody parted ways. The reaction of Melanie's mother at the supposed death of her daughter apparently upset the test audiences so much, that the production crew reshot the whole reception scene, minus the practical joke. It was also covered by The Jacquie Young Band, Alabama, Wild Junkers, Chihiro Onitsuka and other artists. Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." 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. I was like, "Who are you?". So, its hard for me to get it back. Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel about Witherspoon's character's child going to college. But the main thing that happened when we were down there was we were having lunch and we heard these booms in the distance and it was like, "What the fuck is that?" You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. She can be found in the finished version of the film at the end when Melanie is shown a newspaper wedding announcement during the closing credits. sweet home alabama road sign - sweet home alabama stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images dog days of summer - sweet home alabama stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Reese Witherspoon attends the world premiere of Touchstone Pictures' 'Sweet Home Alabama' at the Chelsea West Cinema September 23, 2002 in New York. She ends up marrying him instead of her fiance. paul pion cantor net worth. Visible crew/equipment: As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. It's silly but it was really fun to make." And I was like, "I've known her since she was 15. Answer: Mayor of New York. There's this motto: Act like a movie star and people will treat you like a movie star. But at the same time, we were also making a comedy. Written by C. Jay Cox, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. (c) universal music publishing, inc. All rights reserved. [11] The lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama" include the following lines: Well, I heard Mister Young sing about herWell, I heard ol' Neil put her downWell, I hope Neil Young will rememberA Southern man don't need him around anyhow, In Young's 2012 autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, he commented on his song: "My own song 'Alabama' richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. ", Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel to "Sweet Home Alabama.". Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." He made her feel things she didn't want to feel anymore and it erupted. Reese and I were in this relationship in a sense, not in a real-life one, but in terms of the characters they were in this thing. Always Be My Maybe. The Reese Witherspoon-headlined romcom Sweet Home Alabama nearly took a bit of a dark turn. 13. Tennant: Melanie slapped Jake for a variety of reasons. They then go and dance as the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama" plays. I knew Reese because I had done a TV movie with her when she was 15. Free Sweet home Alabama tab for the acoustic guitar. All rights reserved. Journalist Al Swenson argues that the song is more complex than many believe and is not an endorsement of Wallace. Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant. The script was just as bad as I thought it was before, but I thought the idea was great. The supporting cast includes Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey. Tennant: That's a scene you don't expect in this kind of movie. That Jake would have mid-life issues and that there are differences where Jake and Melanie landed. Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazineshere. Mountain View, California - August 31, 1991 - Old used ticket for the concert of, Sweet Home Alabama Stock Photos, Images & Pictures. ", The only reason "Sweet Home Alabama" was made was because of "Legally Blonde. This is why Reese says, "People need a passport to come down here." This film received mostly mixed reviews from critics. The reaction of Melanie's mother at the supposed death of her daughter apparently upset the test audiences so much, that the production crew reshot the whole reception scene, minus the practical joke. My producing partner and my editor, who are both women, were in the edit room with me. They were developing it for Charlize to star. "Sweet Home Alabama" was written in answer to two songs by Neil Young, "Southern Man" and "Alabama", because the songs "took the entire South to task for the bloody history of slavery and its aftermath. It's not a popular opinion but Wallace stood for the average white guy in the South. "Sweet Home Alabama." "Sweet Home Alabama" premiered on September 27, 2002 20 years ago today. And, whoa, I'm gonna get in trouble over this whole dang post!"[16]. So we drove out to witness the reenactment and it was such a crazy thing that you can't make up and we had to put it in the movie. Since "All Summer Long"'s release, the original song has also charted at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. But he spoke for the common man of the South. The 2002 romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama ends predictably enough, with Reese Witherspoons character matched with the right guy but the original ending to the film threw audiences a curveball that was so wild, it had to be completely reshot. But even in Witherspoon's most optimistic moments, she probably didn't imagine that teaming up with filmmaker Andy Tennant, who just a year earlier helmed a movie that performed so poorly he was thrown in "director jail," and starring opposite an unknown leading man by the name of Josh Lucas would lead to enormous success. 0; Cast Of Sweet Home Alabama: How Much Are They Worth Now? With a reported budget of US$30 million, it was a box office hit, despite the mixed reviews. And I was like, "Hell, yeah, let's take it.". 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 . Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant.Written by C. Jay Cox, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey.The supporting cast includes Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey.It was released in the United States on September 27, 2002, by Buena Vista Pictures. It was also the first film ever allowed to film in Tiffany's . She tells him they are still married, they return to what would have been Melanie and Andrew's reception, and finally, have their first dance as husband and wife. Everyone was pretty much in the same zone, said Lucas in an interview with IGN. It stars Reese Witherspoon, who plays an Alabama-born fashion designer living in NYC. Being from Illinois and I live in New York, I was fascinated by the history and I was always surprised by how generous, kind, and friendly the people in the South were. Trivia. Tennant: When I hear people still holding it dear to their heart I end up calling Josh and going, "God, I wish we were making Sweet Home Alabama 2. His mother hates her, and Melanie's ex-husband hasn't signed . Even though theyd known each other for a while prior to working together, Reese didnt remember who he was! 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. Get it? I was not someone who yearned to be famous and there was a point where I did see a shift. Charlize Theron was originally supposed to star in the movie. after that particular line, and the media picked up only on the reference to the people loving the governor. A young woman who has reinvented herself as a New York City socialite must return home to Alabama to obtain a divorce from her husband after seven years of separation. Answer: baby girl. "[14], Music historians examining the juxtaposition of invoking Richard Nixon and Watergate after Wallace and Birmingham note that one reading of the lyrics is an "attack against the liberals who were so outraged at Nixon's conduct" while others interpret it regionally: "the band was speaking for the entire South, saying to northerners, we're not judging you as ordinary citizens for the failures of your leaders in Watergate; don't judge all of us as individuals for the racial problems of southern society."[15]. Sound/Sound Designer 1 Credit. Melanie reconciles with her friends and learns that after she split with Jake, he had followed her to New York to win her back. Frankly, I don't think you could make "Sweet Home Alabama" today. In her recollection, her initial response was negative: "[Clydie King] said the song was 'Sweet Home Alabama.' It was interesting because I had this moment where I was like, "Really?" of them Melanie's parents are "scared" by a punk with a pierced tongue, All this stuff boiling. "We all did what WE could do!" During that time, he was offered "Sweet Home Alabama.". Meanwhile, Kate Hennings, Andrew's mother and the Mayor of New York City, doubts Melanie's suitability to wed her son, whom she is grooming to run for President of the United States. Its evenly balanced. Glass that forms when lightning hits sand, as in the film, is called fulgurite. You can unsubscribe at any time. She would be great." In the movie's most dramatic scene, Melanie goes to see the gravesite of her old dog Bear. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. Tennant recalled taking a trip to the South before rewriting the movie, and that helped cement its southern feel. And my agent said, "We spoke to them and they thought you were great and they are going to bring you back." The reaction of Melanie's mother at the supposed death of her daughter apparently upset the test audiences so much, that the production crew reshot the whole reception scene, minus the practical joke. 1 Comments. It was an eye-opening experience. The historic homes shown at Melanie's return to Pigeon Creek were shot in Eufaula, Alabama. And then that Friday the movie opened and Sunday I started getting calls from my agent telling me how huge the movie opened. qatar to toronto flight status. A bologna cake consists of bologna, cream cheese and horseradish. Unheard of. In an anniversary interview with Insider, its revealed that as originally shot, the ending found Melanie racing off to the beach where lightning strikes and it cuts to the wedding reception. With this film, Witherspoon solidified herself as a rom-com queen. Answer: She says something to the effect of "mother nature had other plans" leading audience to believe she had a miscarriage. Reese Witherspoon has good chemistry with both Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. Pet cemeteries, just like human, have sturdy stone headstones to withstand the elements, not plastic. I think what we were going for was she's slapping him because she's embarrassed that she suddenly showed some vulnerability. "[4] Andrew Sarris, critic for the New York Observer, said that the movie "Would be an unendurable viewing experience for this ultra-provincial New Yorker if 26-year-old Reese Witherspoon were not on hand to inject her pure fantasy character, Melanie Carmichael, with a massive infusion of old-fashioned Hollywood magic. The mildly entertaining romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama features an equally take-it-or-leave-it soundtrack that mixes country, rock, and pop and excerpts of George Fenton's score. She is cornered there by Kate's assistant, sent to gather information on Melanie's background. And on top of that Josh's character comes in and says he's really happy for her. Sweet Home Alabama. Wynn's Pond in Sharpsburg, Georgia, is the location where Jake lands his plane. Lucas: She rung my bell a couple of times. Why don't we do a love triangle where the love choices are between a great guy and the right guy? She's great and committed, I knew she was going to be big. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider In the original ending of the movie, Melanie leaves her wedding and races to the beach to reconcile with Jake. I was a bit terrified, to say the least. 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. There was this scene late in shooting where we were in the bar and we were playing pool and I had done something, I don't even remember what I did, but Andy turned to me and was like, "My God, when did you become funny? Jake asserts that they will be married one day, whether they are cousins or not. The plot of the film revolved around the life of Melanie, a successful fashion designer. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Second Helping , 1974, 4/4, 98bpm. There were moments where I felt it was an incredible blessing and other times, like that paparazzi incident, were terrifying. Ridley Scott discusses The Last Duel box office failure, superhero films, Revisiting the 1970s films of Michael Caine: Pulp (1972), The 1950s movie that became the most expensive comedy ever, Revisiting Bandslam, and how it sets itself apart as a teen musical, Quiz Answers: 2nd September 2022 (Inside Number 10), Podcast: in conversation with Aline Brosh McKenna, Remembering The Outsiders: a video Film Stories, By continuing you accept the privacy policy. In addition, Dakota Fanning and Thomas Curtis appear briefly as the childhood versions of Melanie and Jake, respectively. Freestylers. In the final scene, we see Ui-Myeong, the other special infectee, escape in the SWAT truck in his 'slime-form'. The two return to what should have been Melanie and Andrews reception and have their first dance. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. I really was. Arthur Bremer may or may not have been a yankee but he sure destroyed whatever chance Wallace had to be president. Tennant: When we tested the movie, people really didn't like the slap so we cut around it. * Sales figures based on certification alone. "[4] "We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. I think he was a stock-car driver. And that turned out to be "Legally Blonde." Jake walks in holding Melanie in his arms who looks unconscious. [13] Van Zant said: "Wallace and I have very little in common. Because you can leer, you know, and because people definitely have the full thing, and with that you can over do it. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Jake's glassblowing shop was filmed at an old mill named Starr's Mill, in Fayette County, Georgia. During the end credits some photos are shown with the cast. 29. The site's critics consensus reads: "Reese Witherspoon is charming enough, but the road to Alabama is well-traveled. There's a flash of lightning and it cuts to a wedding reception. Melanie Carmichael: The truth is I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart, and I never really got it back. You can be a stranger in a strange land if you're not from the South. It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song "Southern Man", which the band felt blamed the entire South for American slavery;[4] Young is name-checked and dissed in the lyrics. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. What is humane about blowing it up and if it was gonna die of cancer all those years ago why is it still roaming around town? Lucas: In the movie, he's my best friend but in reality, that dog was terrified of me. And it was cold out that night. The ending was reshot because test audiences thought Reese Witherspoon's character died. Learn more about the full cast of Sweet Home Alabama with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide . When Reese is leaving the dog cemetery, she brushes against one of the tombstones that has a stone dog on the top of it, yet as she walks past the dog begins to rock back and forth - clearly this is not a stone headstone.
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