Home is where the heart is

After the huge success of Legally Blonde which made Elle Woods a household name, I thought Reese Witherspoon could not outdo herself. I thought that she would just be forever remembered for her role as Elle Woods, the bubbly pretty blonde who made the color pink oh so good. I thought Reese definitely could not match the humor, wit and fun style of Legally Blonde. But I was wrong. Her follow-up film Sweet Home Alabama didn’t let us moviegoers down, for it still contained the elements that made Legally Blonde so good – plus a whole lot more.

Melanie (Witherspoon) has it all. She is a successful fashion designer and she finds the love of her life in Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), the mayor’s son. Everything is going well for her until Andrew finally proposes and asks for her hand in marriage. This engagement doesn’t just mean that she will spend her life with the man of her dreams; it also means she has to return to her roots in Alabama and fix all her unfinished businesses there.

The truth is that Melanie is still married to Jake (Josh Lucas), her high school sweetheart who she thinks has no drive to succeed. Melanie has to convince Jake to sign their divorce papers real soon before Andrew and her mom find out about it.

Melanie becomes the butt of different pranks, and even has to bear with the hostility and tactics Jake plans to drive her up the wall and eventually make her give up.

Melanie also plans ways to get back at Jake. Everything is perfectly planned until Melanie realizes the love she was looking for is right where she left it– in Alabama. All along, the reason why Jake keeps refusing to sign the divorce papers is that he plans to win back Melanie’s love. When he is ready to face Melanie again, he doesn’t expect a big surprise since Melanie is already committed to Andrew. So Jake finally signs their divorce papers.

Melanie and Andrew’s wedding day arrives and everything is perfect. Although Melanie is having second thoughts about the possibility of reconciling with Jake, she decides that maybe, their love is really not meant to be. As she is about to walk down the aisle, her attorney announces a surprise – Melanie forgot to sign their divorce papers and that she and Jake are still married. Andrew is upset but decides to let Melanie go and find the happiness she doesn’t really find in him. In the end, Melanie and Jake renew their vows and start their lives as husband and wife the second time around.

Even though the film is a bit predictable (moviegoers probably know that Jake and Melanie will reconcile in the end), it has interesting twists. It makes people realize that not everything one is looking for can be found in the metropolis or places that seem full of promises. Sometimes the things we are looking for are found in the most unusual places. The film also makes people realize that they should not forget where they came from.

Sweet Home Alabama also makes people realize that a leopard cannot change its spots. No matter how much we change and adapt to our new environment, we can never totally change ourselves. Melanie strives to be a different person by covering herself with pretenses and eliminating her southern accent. But deep inside, she is still the southern girl who loves Jake.

Sweet Home Alabama definitely made a huge impact on me. There were times when I felt I should cover my weaknesses by wearing a mask. But the film made me realize I can never hide forever by being someone else. It also brought home the message that there really is no place like home.

Sweet Home Alabama’s humorous romantic plot and its feel-good effect will surely captivate the heart.