Both Josh Lucas and Reese Witherspoon are from the south. While visiting a nearby restaurant/resort with a glassblowing gallery, they admire the glass sculptures that are similar to ones they have seen in New York. (Insider contacted Lynskey to be interviewed for this story but didn't get a response.) Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Then he says, "Long live Felony Melanie" and Melanie, who was just playing dead, gives him a kiss. (Witherspoon's rep told Insider she was unavailable to be interviewed for this story. ", Tennant: There was never a named actor attached to play Jake. Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. of them Melanie's parents are "scared" by a punk with a pierced tongue, We were just catching up and I asked, "What have you been up to?" "[5], The film grossed over US$35 million in its first weekend. This was first film to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. 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 . Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." According to Rolling Stone, he's never played "Alabama" again since. 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) He has the divorce papers, which Melanie hadn't signed. [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. It was always let's just find someone good. 7 biggest mistakes in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, The 20 biggest mistakes in The Wizard of Oz, 40 biggest mistakes in The Big Bang Theory, 6 Cool things you've never noticed in movies, The biggest mistakes in the Harry Potter movies, 25 mistakes you never noticed in great movies, 7 mistakes in Beetlejuice you never spotted, More questions & answers from Sweet Home Alabama. Toward the end of the movie, Melanie's gay Black friend Frederick (Nathan Lee Graham) is in her mother's (Mary Kay Place) trailer talking about her decorative spoon collection. She and Jake have a heart-to-heart, and Melanie realises why he never signed their divorce papers. Nonetheless, Clayton was persuaded to take the job, to "let the music be [her] protest. A mid-credits sequence shows that they have a baby daughter, Melanie continues to thrive as a designer, and Jake opens a "Deep South Glass" franchise in New York. 7 biggest mistakes in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, The 20 biggest mistakes in The Wizard of Oz, 40 biggest mistakes in The Big Bang Theory, 6 Cool things you've never noticed in movies, The biggest mistakes in the Harry Potter movies, 25 mistakes you never noticed in great movies, 7 mistakes in Beetlejuice you never spotted, More questions & answers from Sweet Home Alabama. At the reception at the end of the movie, Mel's dress is clean and dry. Written by C. Jay Cox, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. Melanie , Jake , Sweet Home Alabama. So at the premiere, I took my mom and had some of my friends and there was a party afterwards. I dont know why we thought that was really funny, director Andy Tennant told Insider. Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazineshere. ", Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel to "Sweet Home Alabama.". The stuff she does in every take is wonderful. During the end credits some photos are shown with the cast. I was so uncomfortable and felt it wasn't working. With a reported budget of US$30 million, it was a box office hit, despite the mixed reviews. Never work with kids or animals. Sweet Home Alabama was a good movie but something you would only want to see once. It was a real surprise that my life and career were going to change over this. It's a joke.". Fred Ward's character is racist, says Tennant. I knew Reese because I had done a TV movie with her when she was 15. 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. The film ultimately ends with Witherspoons character staying with her ex-husband, and the pair of them get married again. Period.'" Alabama Crimson Tide "Sweet Home Alabama" Iron Bowl Alabama vs. Auburn 2012 Its evenly balanced. Kepulangan Melanie ke Alabama pun berubah menjadi momen kurang mengenakkan bagi orang-orang di sekitarnya. Jake pulls her away and tells her to go home, back to New York City. Lucas was convinced he wasn't connecting with Witherspoon and was going to get fired. And I was like, "I cut six frames out of his close up." to get Wallace elected. AmyM. They were like, "What did you do?" For Reese, her accent came very quickly. Answer: She says something to the effect of "mother nature had other plans" leading audience to believe she had a miscarriage. 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. Download Sweet Home Alabama stock photos. ", Josh Lucas began acting at 19 and found work through his 20s on TV shows and movies; he even a did a TV series in Australia. Wynn's Pond in Sharpsburg, Georgia, is the location where Jake lands his plane. Question: In the scene where Jake is driving Andrew to find Melanie, he tells the story about the cat. (01:36:20), Revealing mistake: 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. Bobby Ray backs up her pretense that she is a relative and the family mansion is her childhood home. Melanie goes to the Carmichael plantation and apologizes to Bobby Ray, whose family lives there. It received a mixed critical reception[2] but was a success at the box office.[1]. Yet a different denouement was filmed that would have seen the pair embracing only to be promptly struck by lightning. This is why Reese says, "People need a passport to come down here." 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. 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. To mark the 20th anniversary of the movie's theatrical release, Insider spoke with Tennant and Lucas, who shared never-before-told stories about the making of the movie, including details about the original ending that needed to be reshot, the multiple slaps to the face Lucas took from Witherspoon for a scene that ended up being cut, and how the rom-com almost starred Charlize Theron. He made her feel things she didn't want to feel anymore and it erupted. 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." All rights reserved. That Jake would have mid-life issues and that there are differences where Jake and Melanie landed. "[13] Toward the end of the song, Van Zant adds "where the governor's true" to the chorus's "where the skies are so blue," a line seemingly contradictory to the previous lyrics. Mary H. Ellis. Melanie finds Jake at the beach planting lightning rods in the sand during a rainstorm to create more glass sculptures. (01:06:40). You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. Its now been 15 years since the film was released, so heres a look back at 7 things you probably didnt know about Sweet Home Alabama! (01:08:15) Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, when Melanie is on the beach with Jake and she . 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. Despite the cognitive dissonance that Jewel's glossy cover of Skynryd's title track causes, it's actually not a bad reworking of the Southern rock classic into an adult alternative single. And hardly anyone in America noticed. In order to depict two people from Alabama, they had to practice their Southern drawl. "[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. I hadn't seen it since around the time it first came out. 7. 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. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974, becoming the . Busy city girl comes to her rural idealic small town. Lucas: I did think the ending would work. 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? Apparently, I did., Tennant continued, When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, What the fk! The audience loved the movie up until that shot. It never bodes well when you hear youre doing a major reshoot, but it worked out.. All rights reserved. 3:58. There was a silence on the phone for quite a while. One . In the scene where Jake is driving Andrew to find Melanie, he tells the story about the cat. Take a look at the cast of Sweet Home Alabama. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. She would be great." And on top of that Josh's character comes in and says he's really happy for her. Tennant: Even Reese's lawyer loved the treatment. But at the same time, we were also making a comedy. In the original draft of Sweet Home Alabama there was a character with an entire subplot named Erin Vanderbilt. When you get slapped and it's cold, it's a lot worse. I had remembered it being a decent rom com with some heart, but as I watched it, I realized that it followed the exact same pattern of a Hallmark Christmas movie: 1. 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. 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.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.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. * Sales figures based on certification alone. So there were some intense moments. Download Sweet Home Alabama stock photos. She ends up marrying him instead of her fiance. Wij, Yahoo, maken deel uit van de Yahoo-merkenfamilie. Tennant: I may have had Reese slap him a few more times just to fuck with him. 2 Credits. Visible crew/equipment: As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. Tennant: I don't know how anybody deals with fame, I really don't. Why don't we do a love triangle where the love choices are between a great guy and the right guy? 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. Tagged: Sweet Home Alabama, First Love. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including Jake (Josh Lucas), the . Reese brings that in the scene and I think I do too. The scene cuts to Fred Ward, playing Melanie's father, giving a snarky look as the two talk. During the end credits some photos are shown with the cast. U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. Sweet Home Alabama characters were essayed by Hollywood's top actors. Andrew is engaged to a girl named Erin Vanderbilt. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. [6][7][8][9], None of the three writers of the song were from Alabama; Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington were both born in Jacksonville, Florida, while Ed King was from Glendale, California. "Sweet Home Alabama." "Sweet Home Alabama" premiered on September 27, 2002 20 years ago today. Freestylers. Reese got me good every single time. 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 haven't seen her in years. 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. It's just a thing. Hell, maybe Jake now lives in a trailer park while Melanie had built this perfect life. Vinyl Records, CDs, and More from pop. And I was like, "Hell, yeah, let's take it.". "We all did what WE could do!" And my agent said, "We spoke to them and they thought you were great and they are going to bring you back." Witherspoon plays Melanie, a successful fashion designer who's based in New York and engaged to McDreamy. It's a riddle to me. Unheard of. You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. Where the skies are so blue and the governor's true, The choice of Birmingham in connection with the governor (rather than the capital of Montgomery) is significant because it was the site of civil rights activism and violence in the 1960s. We all talked about accents and stuff in terms of toning ithaving a gentle, subtle, quiet element to it. There were moments where I felt it was an incredible blessing and other times, like that paparazzi incident, were terrifying. They then go and dance as the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama" plays. "When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, 'What the fuck!'" he said. Lynyrd Skynyrd. 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. Free or royalty-free photos and images. It was only humane from Melanie's skewed, immature-at-the-time perspective, believing the cat would be killed instantly. caitlyn smith starfire vinyl. "All Summer Long" also samples Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", which has similar chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". 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. Reese Witherspoon has good chemistry with both Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. And she said, "I made this movie nobody is going to see. 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. Netflix April 2020: Whats Coming & Going, Binge-Worthy Iconic Movie Franchises And How Long It Takes, Netflix October 2019: Whats Coming & Going, Netflix September 2019: Whats Coming & Going, 7 Things You Didnt Know About Sweet Home Alabama. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue."[12]. Sweet home Alabama, oh, sweet home baby Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." ". I was a bit terrified, to say the least. Answer: Mayor of New York. What do they say? Lucas: It never bodes well when you hear you're doing a major reshoot, but it worked out. The film was directed by Andy Tennant, from a screenplay by C Jay Cox (with story credit going to Douglas J Epoch), and it tells the story of Melanie Smooter, a woman who left her home in Alabama for New York City. Andy just kept having my back. And I was like, "What!?! For its used as a device to announce that Melanie under her old surname is dead, and Melanie under her new surname is alive. That part was eventually cut out of the movie. In the original scene, she slaps him and walks away. In the movie's most dramatic scene, Melanie goes to see the gravesite of her old dog Bear. Reference: Quiz: Sweet Quiz Alabama . So I went home and talked to my wife and she said, "I was proposed to at Tiffany's." But he spoke for the common man of the South. "When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, 'What the fuck!'" he said. 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. It was also the first film ever allowed to film in Tiffanys since Breakfast at Tiffanys in 1961. The two return to what should have been Melanie and Andrews reception and have their first dance. 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. Katharine Towne was cast as Witherspoon's character's assistant who ultimately ends up marrying the Patrick Dempsey character, but all other scenes were dropped in the final cut. 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. 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. 26 3. Answer: She had a miscarriage. Trivia. Andrew Hennings , Sweet Home Alabama. So I enjoyed Witherspoon and the local color, but I am so very tired of the underlying premise. My producing partner and my editor, who are both women, were in the edit room with me. Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics . On the beach just before, it was dirty and wet from the storm and sand. I would love to do a "Sweet Home Alabama 2.". This could mean that the Sang-wook we see in the final scene is in fact Ui . Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant. It was also the first film allowed to film at Tiffany's since Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). I totally remember you.'. 30 Melanie and Jake have a _________ at the end of the movie. Filming in New York City. About as unconventional as you can get for the end of whats effectively a fairy tale romantic comedy. Where are those four characters now: Melanie, Jake, Andrew, and Melanie Lynskey's character, Lurlynn? But in a parallel universe somewhere, the alternative version went out. 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. raywest. Reese Witherspoon was at the height of her box office powers when she decided to take the lead in Sweet Home Alabama. So the funny negotiation of it all is they called me up and said, "Disney doesn't want you to do this movie, nobody wants you to do this movie except Andy, so they're offering you nothing, so take it or leave it." Josh has that kind of charisma and star power that's rare. Charlize Theron was considered for the lead role before Reese Witherspoon was cast. The ending was included on the DVD of the film, and itd be fair to say that at first, its something of a shock. In a 2013 interview, Clayton spoke at length about her decision to take the job. They were watching the Deep South Glass scene where there's a close up of Josh walking down the stairs, and I think I cut maybe six frames and they both noticed. When Jake shows up in the scene, Melanie is at her most vulnerable and they kiss. "Sweet Home Alabama" follows Melanie as she travels to her Alabama hometown to finalize her divorce from her childhood sweetheart, Jake (Lucas), so she can marry Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), the son of the New York City mayor (Candice Bergen). Feb 27, 2003. So we kept in touch. "Watergate doesn't bother me" because that stuff happens in politicsbut someone's conscience ought to bother them for what happened to Wallace. At the end of that scene, where I say, "Go home," originally we shot it where Reese slaps me and then walks away. Intimidated by the city and her success, he returned home to make something of himself first. Lees ons privacybeleid en cookiebeleid voor meer informatie over hoe we uw persoonsgegevens gebruiken. D In Birmingham they C love the G Gov'nor F Boo C hoo D hoo ! In the original ending of the movie, Melanie leaves her wedding and races to the beach to reconcile with Jake. I think I had seen the movie before then and thought it was great, but I didn't get the feeling that anyone else did. 13. And, whoa, I'm gonna get in trouble over this whole dang post!"[16]. He was a Jefferson County Commissioner and is credited with helping bring the University of Alabama Medical Center to Birmingham. Lucas: We did that six to 10 times. Tagged: Sweet Home Alabama, First Love. Thank you for visiting! I said, 'Clydie, are you serious? Imagine if the credits had rolled at just that point. Nobody had told me beforehand this movie is going to be a big success. (01:08:15). Song listed in our famous tablatures. When the movie got to like 13 to 14 years later, I started thinking where they would all be. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider See production, box office & company info, Reese Witherspoon sweet performance makes this work. [10], Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 05:08, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Various - Sweet Home Alabama (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on Apple Music", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweet_Home_Alabama_(film)&oldid=1141461745, Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, Edward King, Avril Lavigne, David Alspach, Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards, Matt Cantor, Pete Chill, Aston Harvey, Tenor Fly, "Felony Melanie - Sweet Home Alabama Suite (Score)", This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 05:08. Its on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Melanie visits Jake, who has repeatedly refused to sign divorce papers over the years since she left for New York. In 1975, Van Zant said: "The lyrics about the governor of Alabama were misunderstood. The script was just as bad as I thought it was before, but I thought the idea was great. The Reese Witherspoon-headlined romcom Sweet Home Alabama nearly took a bit of a dark turn. I've been acting for 30 years now and I regularly have people ask me if I've ever made another movie. A bologna cake consists of bologna, cream cheese and horseradish. Then Ronnie wrote the lyrics and Ed and I wrote the music."[10]. The film cost some $30m, and would gross $127m in the US alone, off the back of a massive $35m opening in September of that year. Ronnie and I were sitting there, and he kept saying, 'play that again'. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. The song is credited to Matthew Shafer, Waddy Wachtel, R.J. Ritchie, Leroy Marinell, Warren Zevon, Edward King, Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant. It was released in the United States on September 27, 2002, by Buena Vista Pictures.