Touchstone Pictures - 2002

Sweet Home Alabama is a romantic comedy featuring Reese Witherspoon as Melanie Carmichael, a New York fashion designer who suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor -- the Mayor's son. But her past holds many secrets, including the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her.

Jean plays a honkey-tonk bar manager named Stella -- who also happens to be Melanie's mother-in-law. Stella's got a heart of gold beneath that tough as dirt exterior, but only her son, Jake, and her daughter-in-law, Melanie, know that.

"Jean Smart is just a brilliant actress," said Director Andy Tennant. "It also explains why Jake is so cool -- because his mom is the coolest person in the cast."

In spite of Tennant's feelings about Jean's performance, her most important scene, a heart-to-heart with Reese's character, didn't make it into the final cut because he felt it didn't quite flow with surrounding scenes.

"This is my favorite scene in the movie," laments Tennant. "You might ask why it is not in the movie. I still don't know to this day."

Smart "hadn't played a Southerner in awhile," she says. "I thought it would be fun to do that again. And it's great doing the accent again – though this time, there's definitely more lilt to the vowels than I did before. Not bad, considering I'm from Seattle, but if anybody in Alabama thinks it's not perfect, please forgive me."

"It's a treat to see Jean Smart, a veteran of Southern roles, as Jake's mother." -- Technique

"Supporting cast members, especially Jean Smart (who keeps looking younger and more lovelier each time I see her), add a great deal of charm to Sweet Home Alabama." -- Modamag.com

"Neither Dempsey nor Lucas stands out, especially against terrific supporting actors Bergen, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place and Jean Smart." -- News-Journal.com

"Jean Smart plays the role of Jake's mom. In one of the deleted scenes, she and Melanie have a heart-felt talk the morning after the barroom scene. It should not have been deleted...it explained so much. Jean Smart, like Mary Kay Place, could've given this movie so much more...both of their performances were cut short." -- Epinions.com

"Jean Smart, a true Southern belle who plays Jake’s earthy mother and the owner of the local watering hole, Stella’s Roadhouse, was a little too good in one scene with Witherspoon.....Smart’s scene had the misfortune of preceding one involving Jake and Melanie, which isn’t nearly as funny or compassionate." -- Robert J. Hawkins, Copley News Service

"The deleted scene is so great, even the director calls it his favorite scene." -- Techtite DVD Reviews