THE Ultimate Rom-com list.

Sweet Home Alabama by Andy Tennant

The film opens on a stormy beach with two children, Melanie Smooter and Jake Perry, chasing each other. Jake has brought Melanie out to show her the glass sculptures that result when sand is struck by lightning. They discuss their future together, with Jake asserting they will be married one day. They kiss, and are almost struck by lightning.

In the present day, Melanie (), who has changed her last name to Carmichael to hide her poor Southern roots, is a successful up-and-coming designer in . After becoming engaged to the 's son Andrew (), Melanie announces that she has to go back home alone to Alabama to tell her parents. In reality she is going to procure a divorce from Jake (), to whom she is still married. Andrew's mother () expresses doubt that Melanie is good enough for her son.

In Alabama, Melanie demands a and asks Jake why he has returned the divorce papers unsigned for the last seven years. It's revealed that Jake showed up drunk to their wedding, which is why Melanie left him. Jake again refuses to sign the papers, and citing her shame with where she came from, demands that she go visit her parents (who don't even know she's in town) before he'll even consider signing the papers. Melanie goes to see her parents, and announces her engagement, much to the delight of her mother. The next day, hoping to spur Jake to sign the papers, empties out his , after learning that it's a joint account with her name on it. After following Jake to a local bar, Melanie gets drunk and embarrasses herself in front of her friends, expressing disgust at their lifestyle, confessing that she had been with Jake's baby, and outing a mutual friend, Bobby Ray. Jake becomes angry with her and takes her home. When Melanie wakes up the next morning, the divorce papers are lying on her bed, finally signed by Jake.

Soon after, Melanie visits the Carmichael , where she tries to apologize to Bobby Ray. Though he accepts the apology, he tells Melanie that Jake is not the only person she left behind, reminding her that the friends and family she has in Alabama still care for her. Just as she leaves, Melanie is cornered by a pushy reporter. He claims to be from the but is actually Andrew's mother's assistant, trying to dig up dirt on her. He asks for a tour of the beautiful plantation where Melanie supposedly grew up. Melanie tries to sneak back into the mansion. Realizing her predicament, Bobby Ray pretends to be her cousin and gives the reporter a tour. That afternoon, at a local fair, Melanie is reconciled to her friends, and learns that Jake had earlier gone to New York City to try and win her back, but intimidated by the size of Manhattan, turned around and went home determined to make something of himself. Melanie now realizes that Jake never signed the divorce papers because he still loves her.

Later that night, Melanie goes to the cemetery to tell her old hound dog Bear good-bye, having left before he died. Jake shows up, and they talk about why their marriage did not work, citing Melanie's aspirations, Jake's shortcomings and the miscarriage of Melanie's pregnancy. Jake makes a show of letting go of Melanie, sadly stating "nobody meets their soulmate when they're ten years old", and wishes Melanie a good life with Andrew, but Melanie suddenly kisses Jake. Jake pushes her away and tells her to go home.

Later Andrew arrives at the Carmichael Plantation, her purported home, hoping to surprise her. Jake meets him and takes him to the field of a , where Melanie is with her father. On the way, knowing who Andrew is, Jake regales Andrew with stories of "Felony" Melanie Smooter, his ex-wife; a young girl who once tied dynamite to a cat's tail and then was arrested after he ran into a bank. When Andrew sees Melanie at the battlefield, her father introduces himself as Earl Smooter. Realizing that Melanie has lied to him about who she really is, and about her marriage to Jake, Andrew rebuffs her and leaves.

Melanie returns to her parents' house, where her father walks in with Andrew. Andrew says that he does not care about the past and still wants to marry her. They decide to have the wedding in Alabama, and Andrew's mother comes down from New York. Once Melanie's friends from New York arrive, they discover that Jake has become a very successful with his own company, whose wares Melanie has been admiring since she returned to Alabama. Melanie is surprised and touched to see what Jake has made out of himself, all to win her back.

On her day, her interrupts the ceremony and explains that the divorce is not final because while Jake signed the divorce papers Melanie herself has not. Realizing her love for Jake, she tells Andrew that she cannot marry him because she still loves Jake and wishes him luck in finding a good woman. Andrew in turn, showing no ill-feelings wishes her well in return. His mother explodes, attacking Andrew for risking his promising political career, and verbally attacking Melanie and the town. When she insults Melanie's mother, Melanie punches her in the jaw, to the cheers of the crowd.

Melanie later finds Jake on their favorite childhood beach, planting metal rods to draw lighting to create more sand sculptures. She tells him they are still married, and she wants to be with him. Jake is at first hesitant, stating that he's not good enough for her, but Melanie forcefully tells him that she'll make up her own mind about what's good for her. As Jake and Melanie kiss, the town sheriff Wade interrupts them, saying that Melanie is again wanted by the police, this time because she "ran out on a perfectly good cake". Wade takes the pair back to the owned by Jake's mother, where all of their friends and family are waiting. The pair finally get their long-awaited first dance as man and wife, to the tune of 's "". A mid-credits sequence shows that Jake and Melanie have a daughter, Melanie continued to thrive as a designer and Jake opens a "Deep South Glass" Franchise in New York.

I give it 3.3/5 stars