User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 61
  2. Negative: 12 out of 61

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  1. FantasyL.
    Oct 2, 2002
    2
    Sweet Home Alabama is supposed to be a cute movie, the kind where you leave the theater feeling good and then forget about it two hours later. The truth is it is an absolute bomb! It is an atrocity to all Americans' that hail from the deep south as they were presented as inbred idiots. New Yorkers were also painted in a bad light even though they proved their mettle and resolve having suffered through the events of 9.11. The only saving grace of this dimwitted movie is that Reese W. is a full-fledged star with fantastic comedic talents and timing. She completely captivated the screen. It is just too bad that she didn't have a better script to work with. Avoid! Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. DedeS.
    Aug 31, 2004
    10
    This was a great movie for anyone who believes in the fact that we all have a soul mate out there. Its a great movie, funny and tear-jerker at times. If you have any sense of style , like most southerners have you will love it. Yankee's cant' see the humor in it cause mose of them are stuff shirts.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. GinnyH.
    Aug 31, 2004
    10
    Great movie the south is gonna do it again.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. RobertH.
    Oct 4, 2002
    1
    SHA is a real turkey with all stuffing that goes along with it. I gave it a 1 because Reese is beautiful and deserves a better stage than this garbage. Absolutely hokey!
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  5. AdaA.
    Mar 2, 2003
    10
    I LOOOOOVE this movie! It makes me want to go and visit Alabama! Its sooooo good! I have alreday watched it 6 times! This is for sure my favorite movie!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. ChrisG.
    Feb 27, 2003
    8
    Very good movie, kinda fuity for guys but sweet to watch with the girlfriend. i'm giving this movie a high rating for the great story.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. NatalieS.
    Sep 29, 2002
    10
    I love it. it was one of those movies that made you laugh and then cry. it has become one of my favorite movies.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. DennisY.
    Apr 10, 2003
    10
    I have watched the beginning over 50 times. I love it!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. JoshuaW.
    Nov 5, 2002
    8
    This was a fun movie. Reese Witherspoon gives a wonder and charming performance and everyone else involed in this film, from the director to the wedding scene extras follows her for the ride. I think this film will age with time and sit next to films like Sabrina (the original with which it shares much with) as wonderful romantic comedies that can hold up as time marches on. Reese Witherspoon could have been nominated for an Academy award for this kind of role three decades ago. Still, I like seeing her in grittier roles, although I love her in these kind of pieces too. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. CarlyN.
    Feb 9, 2003
    9
    I love Reese! Great movie!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. BeckyL.
    Feb 28, 2003
    10
    I Loved it. I watch it all the time. I love down south people.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. CarissaA.
    May 29, 2003
    8
    I have watched this movie a few times and each time and I enjoy it. I wouldn't say it's one of my favourites but I still like it. It's kind of your basic chick movie where everything works out in the end. I especially like it how Anderw, Melanie's fiance, is not portrayed as a snobby rich guy who happened to catch Melanie's attention. Instead he is more of a down to earth guy whose love for Melanie is authentic. Of course most people still want Melanie to fall back in love with kind of ex-husband Jack. As only Hollywood knows how, the audience gets what they want. Overall this movie is one that could be see over and over. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. ChynaS.
    Mar 27, 2003
    10
    I luvvvvvvvvvvv this movie. everybody says i am just like her. she's my idol.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. Arianna
    Jul 12, 2003
    10
    I loved this movie....Reese is such a delight to watch!! Its a great flick!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. AmberP.
    Nov 20, 2002
    2
    Reese rocks. Movie sucks. Y'all don't go see it. Ya hear! Nuff said!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. Dunnie
    Oct 1, 2002
    10
    THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME!!! Country boys...so cute! :) Loved it loved it loved it! :)
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. AmyM.
    Feb 27, 2003
    6
    Sweet Home Alabama was a good movie but something you would only want to see once. 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. It's a movie you'll forget you ever saw. It is , however, a good movie to watch if you're planning to do something with the family. It's got pretty good morals. She does end up getting engaged to a man while she is still married to another... Several charactors are noted as being gay and the main character admits to getting marries just because she was pregnant. Compared to many other movies, I'd say this PG-13 romantic comedy is a good choice for a family outing. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. JanetS.
    Oct 17, 2002
    1
    Southern Fried Crapola served in a (NY) stuffed rotten apple. Absolutely the pits. Reese what are you doing in this drek? Avoid.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. BriceJ.
    Sep 28, 2002
    10
    It's great to be southern!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. ChadS.
    Oct 10, 2002
    5
    "Sweet Home Alabama" is a masterpiece, if you're a teenage girl. All those people who claim this is a great movie are actually responding to Reese Witherspoon. Film buffs who wouldn't be caught dead at piffle such as this are lining up because they do like her that much. They remember her "perfect" kiss in "The Man in the Moon" and her hallway celebration in "Election". No iconic moments here, but her elegy to a dead coon dog comes close. And "Heavenly Creatures" fans will be floored when take a good look at that woman with the baby in the bar. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. PaulD.
    Jun 13, 2003
    5
    Unbelievable fairy tale, made bearable by Reese Witherspoon's sincere performance, is acceptable as an innocuous rental.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. LaurieG.
    Mar 5, 2003
    7
    This was a very cute movie. It's a real girlie movie. A comedy romance to the bone. I recommend it to any woman who loves a good movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. [Anonymous]
    Mar 14, 2003
    10
    The best movie in the world!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. MaryF.
    Feb 19, 2003
    10
    I loved this movie. Yes it was a chick flick but it was a good one. Better than most. Josh Lucas has the most beautiful blue eyes and they really showed in this movie and I love dimples too..haha so I thought he was great!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. WayneB.
    Feb 21, 2003
    0
    Utterly unwatchable.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. TommyP.
    Jun 26, 2003
    8
    Great movie.....dont listen to the stupid critics ..."they hate themselves"
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. DwightW.
    Feb 10, 2003
    3
    This movie was slow and boring. It did not make sense from one scene to the next.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  28. EckoLove
    Oct 29, 2002
    8
    This is a really good Movie. So shut the f..k up all u loser guys who don't like it cause it's a chick flick. I have to admit thought the only good actor in it was Reese Witherspoon. And she wasn't even that great which is why i didn't ive it a 10!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  29. HeatherS.
    Apr 4, 2003
    10
    It was the best movie i have ever seen i would watch it ten million times if i had the time. I would definitely say that you should watch this movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  30. BettyH.
    Feb 19, 2003
    10
    it was great. watch it every night.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  31. LindaW.
    Oct 17, 2002
    9
    This movie rocked! The Alabama scenes were so funny and I loved the ending! It was quite surprising. Reese Witherspoon proves again that she's a great actress.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  32. ChrisS.
    Oct 1, 2002
    5
    Well this movie was a piece of crap. I am sorry but it sucked. The only reason it managed a five was the fact that reese witherspoon is really hot and she was the only good actor/actress in the whole piece. I really wish that my sister hadn't dragged me along with her.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  33. JosephE.
    Oct 4, 2002
    10
    This is one of the greatest movie that i've watched!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  34. GlennC.
    Jan 2, 2003
    10
    Awesome. Reese is Great!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  35. MadisonB.
    Sep 29, 2002
    10
    Ok anyone who didn't like it can just shut up, cause it was amazing .. if you don't like it no one cares, let people enjoy it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  36. DarrenC.
    Oct 1, 2002
    7
    It's a cool flick. I've seen better but it's worth your money because of Reese's performance.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  37. JeremyA.
    Nov 10, 2002
    3
    Reese is talented and great. Having said that, otherwise the movie is lame. Makes all southerners look like hillbillies, and portrays New Yorkers as cold and callous. Neither is true. Pass-a-deena on Sweet Home Alabama.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  38. AppleH.
    Oct 9, 2002
    2
    Sorry Jennifer I thought it stunk. Just an absolutely lame script. Cute but totally dumb.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  39. JenniferL.
    Oct 7, 2002
    7
    Like most movies, you should know going into it whether you think you'll like it or not. Yes, the plot is thin and predictable. Yes, it is filled with pretty faces and stereotypical, pigeon-holed character types. BUT, if you go into a movie pretty much knowing all this from the trailers anyway, than why can you be so shockingly surprised at it? It was a mediocre, entertaining, cute little picture, and if you truly thought it would be otherwise, then you will probably find yourself shocked at every movie you ever see for the rest of your life. Go see this for Reese and Josh. Don't expect this to be Oscar-worthy. And please, above all else, don't bother screaming about how awful you thought this movie was, because if you hated it that much, you should spare us all and learn how to realize this before you waste your time and ours. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  40. PatC.
    Jan 14, 2004
    1
    As romantic comedy, it charges out of the gate, sets a torrid pace, gets issues of obscene wealth vs. down home roots and feminist rights vs. domestic loyalty out there in the finest chicky-flicky tradition. It's working. It's working. I tell you, it's working. Anything the movie does after the putrid marriage proposal in Tiffanys is going to be well received. If what follows seems a little contrived, damn the torpedoes. We're going to get Closure. Yes! Yes! Civil war re-enactors do a battle, come back to life and sip lemonade (actually, that was a nice touch). There's an Out Of Africa tear-jerker of a plane ride. Oh, Wow! Wow! God, I say Wow! Full speed ahead! Then the glass & lightning rod thing resurfaces, we flashback to a dark beach where the Almighty irresponsibly neglects to smite somebody, and the film trips over its shoe laces and face plants at the finish line. Her guy isn't a redneck after all, he's a snag (sensitive new age guy). It's just a little too much to have to walk on eggshells to continue the charade of an unrepentent pathological liar avoiding superficial social embarrassment . A hush falls over us. We agree it was a hell of a ride, but we won't remember a thing about it the next day. They painted ourselves into a corner with the title song. Maybe it's too hokey - it would never had gone anthem if Neil Young hadn't pissed off the locals. Hey Jeff, how about, "You know you're a redneck if you hated this movie." Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  41. Sep 10, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For a romantic comedy, SWEET HOME ALABAMA was quite an enjoyable film. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey, it tells the tale of a northerner who meets a man and immediately falls in love. The problem is she's married to a "redneck" down in Alabama already, so she goes down south to divorce him. There, another problem arises: her husband refuses to sign the papers. It seemed in this film that there was no consistent plot, and it was always just problem after problem after problem coming up. Also, this is quite unoriginal, and it was intended as a comedy, but I didn't see much that was funny in it (or even really aimed at humor). In fact, I saw it more as a romantic drama than a "romcom". Either way, it was a chick flick, and even though I don't usually enjoy that type of film, I found it to be a cute movie, and it was somewhat worth seeing. Expand
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 35
  2. Negative: 6 out of 35
  1. If you're a fan of Witherspoon, this movie was produced, shot, edited and distributed entirely for you.
  2. 60
    Makes a suitable staging post in Witherspoon's headlong career. She may want to forget it by Christmas, yet its cushioned slackness allows her to sharpen her grasp of a steely American type: the girl next door who will kill to get out of town. [30 Sept 2002, p. 145]
  3. It doesn't have a speck of authentic heart -- you can bet its Hollywood creators wouldn't move to Alabama if their lives depended on it -- but if you belong to the growing legion of Witherspoon worshippers, this is definitely the movie of the week.