Melanie Carmichael is the toast of New York City. The up-and-coming clothing designer has just had a successful fashion show, and her boyfriend Andrew (the Mayor's son) has just proposed to her...

Melanie Carmichael is the toast of New York City. The up-and-coming clothing designer has just had a successful fashion show, and her boyfriend Andrew (the Mayor's son) has just proposed to her inside Tiffany's Jewelry Store. The only hitch is that Melanie is still hitched – to her high school boyfriend Jake back in Pigeon Creek, Alabama. They got married when she became pregnant, but Melanie left town after she had a miscarriage. Melanie returns to Pigeon Creek to try to convince Jake to give her a divorce, but Jake is none too accommodating. As formulaic, utterly inoffensive romantic comedies go, Sweet Home Alabama could be better, and could be worse. It's a variant of Julia Roberts's Something to Talk About, with all the same strengths and weaknesses, and Reese Witherspoon is definitely its saving grace. As an Alabama country girl turned hot New York fashion designer, Witherspoon finds the genuine emotions hidden under a blandly familiar plot, making her character's romantic indecisiveness seem not only credible but disarmingly appealing. She's just agreed to marry the Camelot-bred son (Patrick Dempsey) of New York's no-nonsense mayor (Candice Bergen), but first she has to officially divorce the husband (Josh Lucas) she left behind years earlier... only to discover that their love is stronger than ever. The rest, of course, is a foregone conclusion, but with a sharp supporting cast and a few charming moments, Sweet Home Alabama will satisfy anyone who prefers safe, reassuring entertainment. Just as Melanie's discovering she might still have feelings for Jake, Andrew arrives in town and discovers that Melanie's married and that she's lied about her past in order to make herself seem more impressive. Andrew forgives her, though, and Jake signs the divorce papers. At the wedding, however, Melanie's lawyer tells her that she's forgotten to sign the divorce papers, so she's still married to Jake. Melanie makes a tough decision. She realizes that she never stopped loving Jake (who now owns a successful glass-blowing company). Melanie confesses her love to Jake, and her wedding to Andrew becomes her wedding reception to Jake. In this romantic comedy, New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including Jake (Josh Lucas), the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their contentious relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama to confront her past, only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl.