Sweet Home Alabama parents guide

Sweet Home Alabama Parent Guide

Overall B-

Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) is an up-and-coming fashion designer with a marriage proposal from the handsome and eligible son (Patrick Dempsey) of New York City's mayor (Candice Bergen). However, there is one thing standing between her and this chance at happiness…a husband ((Josh Lucas) in Alabama, whom she married during high school.

Violence B-
Sexual Content C+
Profanity C
Substance Use C

Why is Sweet Home Alabama rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Sweet Home Alabama PG-13 for some language/sexual references.

Parent Movie Review

Life seems almost perfect for Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon). Hailed as a rising star in the world of fashion, the young New York designer is head-over-heels in love with the handsome and eligible son of the city’s mayor (Candice Bergen). When Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) unexpectedly pops the big question, only one small problem stands between this girl and her newfound happiness…a husband she married in high school.

Armed again with divorce papers, Melanie heads for Pigeon Creek, Alabama. There, she confronts the man who’s been avoiding her request for the past seven years. Although Jake (Josh Lucas) is surprised to see her, the last thing this redneck is willing to do is sign the forms. But with so much on the line, the chic creator is willing to stay in town with her working-class parents until her estranged spouse comes around.

For her mother, Pearl (Mary Kay Place), Melanie’s new life is a Cinderella story. After pushing her daughter into beauty pageants for years, the extravagant engagement ring from Tiffany’s showroom seems like adequate payoff. But her father Earl (Fred Ward), who spends his days reenacting Civil War battles for camera-wielding tourists, worries that his only child is running away from her past.

Meanwhile, Andrew’s announcement is giving his socially conscious mother a public relations nightmare. Determined to find any dirt on the new fianc0xE9e before the press does, the high-strung politician engages in some strategic warfare to disrupt the wedding plans.

With sexual content limited mostly to comments, kissing and some implied relations, profanities are this film’s biggest problem. Alcohol use and drunkenness are depicted, but at least some consequences result from the behavior unlike a solidly delivered punch that carries no penalty for assault.

Pitting North against South, big city against small town and the past with the future, Sweet Home Alabama is a romantic look at what happens when one girl has two good choices in her life. After reconnecting with her former friends, Melanie starts to see the positive aspects in both of her diverse worlds. And that leaves her to choose what’s best for the girl inside.

Directed by Andy Tennant. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Josh Lucas, Candice Bergen. Updated

Sweet Home Alabama
Rating & Content Info

Why is Sweet Home Alabama rated PG-13? Sweet Home Alabama is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some language/sexual references.

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Sweet Home Alabama Parents' Guide

This movie depicts lightning strikes used for the creation of art. Parents may want to discuss the intrinsic dangers associated with this activity with their children. For a brief reading on naturally occurring glass go to: http://www.civilization.ca/hist/verre/venat01e.html.

Both Jake and Andrew are depicted as plausible spousal choices. What qualities does each man have? What are their successes in life and how are they portrayed? Which man would you choose?

Melanie seems to think that she is somehow better than the people in her hometown. Why does she feel that way? Are there incidents that change her opinion?

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Andy Tennant also directed romance movies set in historical times. Ever After is a retelling of the Cinderella story and Anna and the King is loosely based on the teaching experience of an English governess to the King of Siam.