And I was like, "Hell, yeah, let's take it.". "[13], Further complicating the racial politics of the song is the fact that Merry Clayton and Clydie King, two well-known black studio singers, are heard on the track as backing vocalists. The historic homes shown at Melanie's return to Pigeon Creek were shot in Eufaula, Alabama. The romantic comedy originally ended with a fake-out that Reese Witherspoons character was dead. Charlize Theron was originally sought out to play the lead role of Melanie Carmichael, but because there was an actors strike at the time, she had jumped to do the film Trapped. You can see tucked into the top of her left boot the battery pack for her microphone and the wires going up her skirt. 26 3. I was not someone who yearned to be famous and there was a point where I did see a shift. New York fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. 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. Als u uw keuzes wilt aanpassen, klik dan op 'Privacyinstellingen beheren'. And they were both like, "Put it 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. Visible crew/equipment: As Melanie is walking across the battlefield looking for her father she steps across 'dead bodies'. Tennant: Even Reese's lawyer loved the treatment. "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album Second Helping (1974). Everyone was like, "OK, that was easy. 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. The film although predictable is full of funny moments and a lot of heart. "[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]. D Now we all C did what we could G do. He would see me and just walk the other way. Reese and I met each other for like thirty seconds on American Psycho, so we had no comprehension of each other whatsoever, and she didnt have any memory of meeting me, whatsoever, he laughed. 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. to get Wallace elected. 1 Comments. Glass that forms when lightning hits sand, as in the film, is called fulgurite. More trivia for Sweet Home Alabama. It's a riddle to me. June 5, 2022 0 Comments the father paul slaps anthony . Andrew arrives to surprise Melanie, but upon learning her true background and that she never told him she was married, he angrily leaves. 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. According to Rolling Stone, he's never played "Alabama" again since. Melanie finds Jake at the beach planting lightning rods in the sand during a rainstorm to create more glass sculptures. 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! Lucas was convinced he wasn't connecting with Witherspoon and was going to get fired. Humor has changed and also I think it's such a dark time right now that the divide between cultures is just not funny. Ed King, the song's cowriter, contradicted his former bandmates in a 2009 post on his website. The two return to what should have been Melanie and Andrews reception and have their first dance. The supporting cast includes Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey. Trivia. It's silly but it was really fun to make." Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback. Played by Katharine Towne, the character was cut from the film after test audiences were confused about her relationship with Andrew. I don't like my words when I listen to it. 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. "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album Second Helping (1974). That would hardly have played well in 2002, and itd be a fair bet itd knock even more progressive audiences today pretty much off their feet. 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. Actors know what works for them and I needed him to loosen up a little bit. 12. After he orders her out of his house, Melanie empties Jake's checking account, hoping to spur him into ending the marriage. With this film, Witherspoon solidified herself as a rom-com queen. 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. 29. 7. Turns out this incredibly dark turn was intended in the original script as a joke, though. 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. So I enjoyed Witherspoon and the local color, but I am so very tired of the underlying premise. So, its hard for me to get it back. tab. And it was cold out that night. Spoiler warning: the ending of Sweet Home Alabama is directly discussed towards the end of this article. Answer: She had a miscarriage. sweet home alabama ending credits pictures. 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. [3], Roger Ebert, critic for the Chicago Sun Times, awarded it three-out-of-four stars, commenting, "It is a fantasy, a sweet, light-hearted fairy tale with Reese Witherspoon at its center. Sweet Home Alabama was the first film allowed to shoot in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks. 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. 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. 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. There, she became a socialite, but after nearly a decade away, she needs to come back home to secure a divorce from her husband. Josh has that kind of charisma and star power that's rare. But neither can escape the fandom people have for "Sweet Home Alabama.". "I don't care about your past, all I want to know is if there's a place for me in your future.". Its evenly balanced. Freestylers. Jake announces, "Melanie Carmichael is dead" but then a few seconds later he says, "Long live Felony Melanie." The hit led to two television rock show offers that the band declined. 13. I knew from then on that this was unique. 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." Tennant has written a treatment for a sequel to "Sweet Home Alabama." Tennant: What happened was Reese's daughter, Ava, went to school with my son, so I would see Reese on occasion. Jake and Melanie do this as a practical joke. I dont know why we thought that was really funny, director Andy Tennant told Insider. And then "Legally Blonde" came out, and I got a call from the studio and they were like, "What do you think of Reese Witherspoon?" They were like, "What did you do?" 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? UK DVD and Blu-ray release dates confirmed: up to mid-2023, Passion Of The Christ 2 set to be on eve of production, James Cameron reveals The Abyss and True Lies getting 4K disc releases this year. I might have been the lowest-paid actor in the entire movie. They were developing it for Charlize to star. Then he says, "Long live Felony Melanie" and Melanie, who was just playing dead, gives him a kiss. 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. The audience loved the movie up until that shot. We were just catching up and I asked, "What have you been up to?" That Jake would have mid-life issues and that there are differences where Jake and Melanie landed. Lucas: She rung my bell a couple of times. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. 31 What does Andrew's mother do for a living in "Sweet Home Alabama"? Courtesy of Songs Of Universal, Inc. on behalf of itself, and EMI Longitude Music, Universal Music Corp. on behalf of itself and EMI Full Keel Music Official Licensed Product. Tennant: The studio felt the movie needed a better opening. "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. Padahal, Bobby Ray merupakan sosok yang selalu mendukung impian-impian Melanie sejak kecil. 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. Melanie's New York friends arrive for the event. Design and text 1996 - 2023 Jon Sandys. Lucas: It never bodes well when you hear you're doing a major reshoot, but it worked out. 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. I never had that mentality. Reese Witherspoon terrific heartfelt performance makes this movie work. And then Reese called me and said, "You are never going to believe this, they sent me your script! It's the "almost" part that makes the movie work. But things get complicated once Melanie comes face-to-face with Jake again. "[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. At the end of the movie, when Melanie is on the beach with Jake and she goes to kiss him she has her hands on his face, but in the next shot her arms are stretched out and she wraps them around his neck. 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. The cat had cancer and Melanie wanted it to die a "humane" death. D Lord, I'm C coming home to G you. Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant. In a sequence The clips shown in the credits of the movie; is the child featured in their now happy lives, Witherspoons' daughter Ava? Sweet Home Alabama. After wealthy Andrew Hennings proposes, Melanie returns to Alabama to announce her engagement to her parents and finalize a divorce from her husband Jake, whom she married as a pregnant teenager and left after she miscarried their baby. He moved to New York City in the mid-1990s and began acting onstage while getting bit parts in movies like "American Psycho" and "You Can Count on Me." January 1, 2002 13 Songs, 48 minutes This Compilation 2002 Hollywood Records, Inc. Angry, Jake leaves to meet some friends at a local bar without signing the papers. "All Summer Long" also samples Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", which has similar chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". Earl Smooter: You can't ride two horses with one ass, sugarbean. (01:08:15), Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, when Melanie is on the beach with Jake and she goes to kiss him she has her hands on his face, but in the next shot her arms are stretched out and she wraps them around his neck. So I had to throw him off the dock and from that moment on he hated me. Answer: baby girl. But poor Josh was whacked a good number of times. In the movie's most dramatic scene, Melanie goes to see the gravesite of her old dog Bear. My kids were going through college so it got me thinking about a new generation of kids going to school and young love and what that would do to parents when they see their kids being real grown-ups. What I think worked for us is it was all true. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. When you get slapped and it's cold, it's a lot worse. "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". Reference: Quiz: Sweet Quiz Alabama . 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. Never work with kids or animals. What happens next undermines that ending, though, as her husband seemingly carries the corpse of Melanie back into the wedding reception and announces that shes dead. 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. Tennant: "Sweet Home Alabama" is on all the time. It was also covered by The Jacquie Young Band, Alabama, Wild Junkers, Chihiro Onitsuka and other artists. Tennant: When we showed it to a test audience the whole room was just like, "What the fuck!" It was an eye-opening experience. Lucas: I'll get stopped by firemen on the street in New York City and they will be like, "I hate romantic comedies, but I love that one." . That led to me going to "director jail." ", 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. And she told me how a former boyfriend had proposed there. 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. We were the first movie to shoot there on the location since "Breakfast at Tiffany's.". 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. Tennant: I don't know why we thought that was really funny. The film takes its title . She and Jake have a heart-to-heart, and Melanie realises why he never signed their divorce papers. One . Ronnie and I were sitting there, and he kept saying, 'play that again'. What do they say? 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Spoiler warning: the ending of Sweet Home Alabama is directly discussed towards the end of this article. Charlize Theron was attached to play the lead role before Reese Witherspoon. 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.