Those planning a quiet night in for New Year’s Eve have one last chance to watch the 2002 movie Sweet Home Alabama on Hulu. The streamer’s monthly list of movies leaving its catalog includes this beloved rom-com starring Reese Witherspoon. Read on for a bit about the movie if you’re interested.
Sweet Home Alabama was written by C. Jay Cox and Douglas J. Eboch and directed by Andy Tennant, and in addition to Witherspoon it stars Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. It is about a young woman named Melanie (Witherspoon) who has left her life life in small-town Alabama behind to become a successful fashion designer in New York City. She returns home to tell her parents that she is engaged to a wealthy man named Andrew Hennings (Dempsey), and also to finalize her divorce from her childhood sweetheart Jake (Lucas).
The audience soon learns that Melanie and Jake got married in a rush as teenagers when Melanie became pregnant, but Melanie left for New York after having a miscarriage. However, the friends and family from her old life aren’t pleased with the way she left them behind, while the people she has met in New York City aren’t pleased with the way she has lied about her past – including her marriage.
The movie was a commercial success in its time but it got mixed reviews. It has an average rating of 5.9 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, with 38 percent positive feedback overall. Critics complained that the movie was trite and pandering, with predictable cliches surfacing one after the other. However, even the harshest reviews agreed that it is a standout role for Witherspoon. Roger Ebert compared her to Doris Day, while the Observer’s Andrew Sarris praised her for inufing the movie with “old-fashioned Hollywood magic.”
Witherspoon was already a seasoned actor by the time this movie came out, though it may get overlooked in analysis of her career because it was released around the same time as other hits. In particular, Witherspoon starred in Legally Blonde in 2001, marking a major turning point in her career.
Sweet Home Alabama leaves Hulu on Sunday, Dec. 31, meaning there are literally just hours left to watch it. However, you can also find it on the subscription streaming service Hoopla, or rent or purchase it on a digital store like Prime Video. At the time of this writing, the movie is also available on DVD, Blu-ray and even used VHS tapes through online retailers.