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. It was always let's just find someone good. We would have lunch every year or so. Zero. In the original draft of Sweet Home Alabama there was a character with an entire subplot named Erin Vanderbilt. 29. Neil Young pays tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant: Alabama / Sweet Home Alabama - 11-12-77. If youd like to support our attempts to make a non-clickbaity movie website: Follow Film Stories on Twitterhere, and on Facebookhere. Copyright 2000-2023 Dreamstime. Melanie confesses that she still loves Jake and cancels the wedding. (c) universal music publishing, inc. It was a real surprise that my life and career were going to change over this. 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. 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. I was in director jail for about a year and then "Sweet Home Alabama" came around again. "Southern Comforts: 25 Best Songs About the South", "Unfurling 'Sweet Home Alabama,' A Tapestry Of Southern Discomfort", "The 25 Greatest Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs of All Time", Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 19, 1974, "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)", Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974, "Danish single certifications Lynyrd Skynyrd Sweet Home Alabama", "Italian single certifications Lynyrd Skynyrd Sweet Home Alabama", "British single certifications Lynyrd Skynyrd Sweet Home Alabama", "American single certifications Lynyrd Skynyrd Sweet Home Alabama", Recording Industry Association of America, "Lynyrd Skynyrd Song Turns Alabama Tourist Theme", State's New License Plates Feature Beach Scene and 'Sweet Home Alabama', "Dave Mustaine wrote a Metallica song ripping off "Sweet Home Alabama". (Witherspoon's rep told Insider she was unavailable to be interviewed for this story. The stuff she does in every take is wonderful. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. Vinyl Records, CDs, and More from pop. Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback. Sound/Sound Designer 1 Credit. So, its hard for me to get it back. "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. I dont know why we thought that was really funny, director Andy Tennant told Insider. There was a silence on the phone for quite a while. The film takes its title . I knew Reese because I had done a TV movie with her when she was 15. It was something I had never experienced before or since. I totally remember you.'. Question: In the scene where Jake is driving Andrew to find Melanie, he tells the story about the cat. The loss of their kid, the loss of their dreams, the loss of innocence, all that stuff. Intimidated by the city and her success, he returned home to make something of himself first. We all talked about accents and stuff in terms of toning ithaving a gentle, subtle, quiet element to it. Fred Ward's character is racist, says Tennant. 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. My producing partner and my editor, who are both women, were in the edit room with me. Answer: She says something to the effect of "mother nature had other plans" leading audience to believe she had a miscarriage. Lucas: There wasn't much heat on the movie, we didn't have the premiere at a glitzy theater, but what happened there is to this day one of the strangest experiences of my life. New York fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. But I was terrified I was going to be fired before we even started. D In Birmingham they C love the G Gov'nor F Boo C hoo D hoo ! Its on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Buena Vista Pictures; Alyssa Powell/Insider, TIMOTHY WHITE/TOUCHSTONE/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK. As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. Then he says, "Long live Felony Melanie" and Melanie, who was just playing dead, gives him a kiss. "When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, 'What the fuck!'" he said. They were developing it for Charlize to star. Sweet Home Alabama is a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. Melanie Carmichael: The truth is I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart, and I never really got it back. At the end of that scene, where I say, "Go home," originally we shot it where Reese slaps me and then walks away. And Sweet Home Alabama, on the surface a pretty frothy romantic comedy, would cement her place as a hugely successful leading actor. 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. * Sales figures based on certification alone. (01:06:40). These numbers may not look so striking now, but they were, in the context of 17 years ago, really quite something. She was just jokin around. Then he auditioned to play the male lead, Jake, in "Sweet Home Alabama. His mother hates her, and Melanie's ex-husband hasn't signed . As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. You can unsubscribe at any time. I was like, "Who are you?". U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. I was pretty uncomfortable, so that doesn't make the person working across from you comfortable. Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Even though the film received mixed reviews from critics, it has a huge cult following of fans who absolutely loved it and still cherish it as one of their favorite movies today. Wij, Yahoo, maken deel uit van de Yahoo-merkenfamilie. I originally had my doubts about seeing this one but I bought the DVD and I highly enjoyed the movie. My memory was that Andy felt I'm the guy and then he really went to bat for me. Add a different answer. The cat had cancer and Melanie wanted it to die a "humane" death. "Sweet Home Alabama" was a major chart hit for a band whose previous singles had "lazily sauntered out into release with no particular intent." As such, Sweet Home Alabama went out in cinemas with a finale that tied things up in a nice, conventional bow, and much money was made. 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. Lucas: In the movie, he's my best friend but in reality, that dog was terrified of me. "[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]. Some of it was, "Josh, punch line. The cat had cancer and Melanie wanted it to die a "humane" death. She and Andrew wish each other well, though Kate berates Andrew and insults Melanie, her family, and the entire town, for which Melanie punches her in the face. He was a Jefferson County Commissioner and is credited with helping bring the University of Alabama Medical Center to Birmingham. Add to favorites. 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." Imagine if the credits had rolled at just that point. So I think there was an intensity to the work experience that I think in some ways Andy was able to utilize. Visible crew/equipment: As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. 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. 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. In a sequence We were the first movie to shoot there on the location since "Breakfast at Tiffany's.". The interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. Pet cemeteries, just like human, have sturdy stone headstones to withstand the elements, not plastic. Lucas is from Arkansas and Witherspoons from Tennessee, but theyve since moved away and lost most of their accents. 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. I would do everything and anything to work with Melanie Lynskey again. The streets and storefronts of Crawfordville, Georgia, were used as the backdrop for the Catfish Festival and other downtown scenes. I think he was a stock-car driver. I was a bit terrified, to say the least. I'm there tightening up things on the movie. You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. Cast Of Sweet Home Alabama: How Much Are They Worth Now? [6] For a decade, the film would hold this record until 2012 when Hotel Transylvania took it. ", Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel to "Sweet Home Alabama.". Tennant: I don't know how anybody deals with fame, I really don't. It wouldn't be appropriate. Mountain View, California - August 31, 1991 - Old used ticket for the concert of, Sweet Home Alabama Stock Photos, Images & Pictures. Filming in New York City. Boo!' 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. 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Tennant: Even Reese's lawyer loved the treatment. There was an intensity of pain and past and history. That's not who I am, and maybe that's why I was right for Jake and have a connection to him. "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). Lucas: There were a few dogs who played Bryant, but the main one, in the scene where he jumps off the dock and swims for the bone, in order to do that scene the dog needed to jump and he wouldn't do it. Lucas: Reese was very unsure of me and had no reason not to be. They were laying on the limousine as we drove away. Download Sweet Home Alabama stock photos. I'm talking every single person on the movie. How come it took this long? They then go and dance as the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama" plays. Trivia: Erin Vanderbilt, the woman that Andrew is shown marrying at the end originally had a bigger part, but test audiences misunderstood her relationship with Andrew before breaking up with Melanie, so all of Erin's scenes were cut except for that small bit over the credits. Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazineshere. I had lunch with her not that long before I turned in the "Sweet Home Alabama" script. The coonhound cemetery was on Moore Street in Crawfordville and the bar was located at Heavy's Barbecue near the town. Tennant: "Sweet Home Alabama" is on all the time. It was only humane from Melanie's skewed, immature-at-the-time perspective, believing the cat would be killed instantly. We shot it at the actual Tiffany's in New York City. She's recalling the life she had with Jake and the baby they lost due to her miscarriage. In a sequence of them Melanie's parents are "scared" by a punk with a pierced tongue, Mel's co-worker from the beginning of the movie, who comments on her accent when she dreams. Charlize Theron was attached to play the lead role before Reese Witherspoon. In an interview with Garden & Gun, Rossington explained the writing process: "I had this little riff. Written by C. Jay Cox, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. Everyone was like, "OK, that was easy. "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album Second Helping (1974). And I think there was a lot of fear on her part about me and what I was going to bring because she couldn't look at any past work of mine and understand why I was cast. So I enjoyed Witherspoon and the local color, but I am so very tired of the underlying premise. When Melanie's mom says stuff like, "Go get them Yankees," and we play it for laughs, I don't know. I never had that mentality. ", Lucas: I remember the audition so well because I don't know if there's a handful of auditions that I've ever had that I felt worse about. Answer: baby girl. I don't like what he says about colored people. 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. 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. Answer: Mayor of New York. (01:08:15) Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, when Melanie is on the beach with Jake and she . Now Watergate does not bother me Take a look at the cast of Sweet Home Alabama. She is a director's dream. More trivia for Sweet Home Alabama. Not long after three of the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd tragically died in a plane crash in 1977, Young performed a medley of "Alabama" and "Sweet Home Alabama" as a tribute. 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. 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"). Why don't we do a love triangle where the love choices are between a great guy and the right guy? 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. Everyone is in shock. I would say in some ways we pushed each other to try, I think, to find truth. 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. 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. 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. Ed King, the song's cowriter, contradicted his former bandmates in a 2009 post on his website. You can unsubscribe at any time. Always Be My Maybe. Lucas: I was scared of being famous. Spoiler warning: the ending of Sweet Home Alabama is directly discussed towards the end of this article. Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama Road Sign in Alabama USA, Entering Sweet Home Alabama Road Highway Welcome Sign, Sweet home alabama welcome sign at rest area stop off highway, Welcome Sign to Sweet Home Alabama Road along Interstate 10 Photo Image, Aerial photo Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama USA, Alabama We Dare Defend Our Rights State Motto, George Wallace Plaque Alabama Visitors Center, Old used ticket for the concert of Lynyrd Skynyrd at Shoreline Amphitheatre. It's a movie you'll forget you ever saw. In the present day, Melanie is a successful New York fashion designer who has adopted the surname "Carmichael" to hide her poor Southern roots. It received a mixed critical reception[2] but was a success at the box office.[1]. Nonetheless, Clayton was persuaded to take the job, to "let the music be [her] protest. sweet home alabama ending credits pictures. 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." 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. Learn more about the full cast of Sweet Home Alabama with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide . Tennant: I may have had Reese slap him a few more times just to fuck with him. Baca juga: Sinopsis Serial Grown-ish, Tayang di Disney+ Hotstar. Tennant: Yeah. Bobby Ray backs up her pretense that she is a relative and the family mansion is her childhood home. Tagged: Sweet Home Alabama, First Love. And she told me how a former boyfriend had proposed there. Stay up to date with what you want to know. When the movie got to like 13 to 14 years later, I started thinking where they would all be. 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. It has come and gone ever since and I'm now way further beyond that where I don't give it much credence either way. I might have been the lowest-paid actor in the entire movie. 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. Dreamstime is the world`s largest stock photography community. 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. Charlize Theron was originally supposed to star in the movie. 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. When you get slapped and it's cold, it's a lot worse. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974, becoming the band's highest-charting single. Jake scolds her and takes her home, preventing her from driving drunk, and Melanie wakes to find the signed divorce papers on her bed. Lucas: I did think the ending would work. I was so uncomfortable and felt it wasn't working. It's just a thing. In a 2013 interview, Clayton spoke at length about her decision to take the job. Since "Sweet Home Alabama" opened in theaters Tennant made another rom-com hit, "Hitch," starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes. June 5, 2022 0 Comments the father paul slaps anthony . 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. Tennant said Parks had a dog who would jump in the water and fetch rocks that were at the bottom. Reese got me good every single time.