Dick De Jong
November 9, 2012
HDTV Solutions

Has it really been ten years since Sweet Home Alabama was released? It seems like only yesterday that a pert and impertinent high school senior, Reese Witherspoon was traumatizing Matthew Broderick in Election.

In Alabama, Reese has grown up and plays a pert and driven New York City designer planning to marry her dreamboat man, Patrick Dempsey (yes, Dr. McDreamy, pre-Grey's Anatomy).

But before she can tie the knot, she needs to untangle a gnarly one from her past, which leads her to Pigeon Creek, Alabama where she rediscovers her drawl and her soul as soon as she sets foot in her home sweet home.

And as soon as she collides again with her long-separated hunky husband, Josh Lucas, you can see the storm clouds gathering and hear the thunder rattling. You know it's just a matter of time before lightning strikes again.

Though this romantic comedy revolves around Reese and Josh, much of the heart and humor of the movies comes from the fine supporting cast of women, including Candice Bergen, Mary Kay Place, and Jean Smart.

Of note, this 10th Anniversary release is the first time that Sweet Home Alabama is on Blu-ray and it is better served on this HD format because it is mastered in its original 2.35:1 format and it looks better in 1080p resolution.

I winced when I saw that one of the Bonuses was "Off the Cutting Room Floor," because usually that means that scenes that were edited out of the movie are played one right after the other.

I was delighted to find out that on this Blu-ray, the Director, Andy Tennant, introduces each outtake and explains why it was not included in the final movie. Often the culprit was the much maligned focus group.

Tennant also talks about and then shows the rain-soaked, lightning-striking alternate ending that mirrored the opening scene.

Studio: Touchstone Pictures

Director: Andy Tennant

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Josh Lucas, Candice Bergen, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart

Length: 109 minutes

Rated: PG-13

Video:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio:
English:
  DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French:
  Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, French and Spanish