Sweet Home Alabama (film)

Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Andy Tennant and written by C. Jay Cox. It stars Reese Witherspoon as Melanie Carmichael, a New York fashion designer who returns to her Southern hometown to finalize a divorce from her estranged husband, played by Josh Lucas, before marrying her fiancé, portrayed by Patrick Dempsey. The supporting cast includes Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey. The film takes its title from the 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd song of the same name.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on September 27, 2002, by Buena Vista Pictures under the Touchstone Pictures label. Although it received generally negative reviews from critics, Sweet Home Alabama emerged as a commercial success, grossing over $180 million worldwide against a production budget of $30 million.