The movie is a fantasy, of course, but Witherspoon has said that Melanie’s struggles actually mirror some of her own experiences as a Louisiana-born, Tennessee-raised actress trying to make it in Hollywood. The only solution is to return to Pigeon Creek and get the divorce finalized, but because this is a romantic comedy, that’s not how things between Melanie and Jake play out. The problem is that she’s already married - to Jake Perry (Lucas), the childhood sweetheart who was supposed to have divorced her years ago but never signed the papers. That plan seems to be working out for her until she gets engaged to Andrew Hennings ( Patrick Dempsey), the wealthy son of NYC’s mayor ( Candice Bergen). Witherspoon stars as Melanie Smooter, a New York City fashion designer who hides her Pigeon Creek, Alabama, origins by using the last name “Carmichael.” “Small-town girl moves to the big city and forgets her roots” is a plot so clichéd at this point that it shows up in about 90 percent of made-for-TV Christmas movies, but in Sweet Home Alabama, it just works.

You can’t take the honky-tonk out of the girl! Sweet Home Alabama became a classic rom-com almost as soon as it hit theaters in 2002, thanks to the charm - and chemistry - of leads Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas.

Cast of sweet home alabama movie