Credit: Netflix

February has always been the harbinger of the season of love, and lately, the sparks are visibly flying on Netflix, courtesy of a rom-com blast from the past, Sweet Home Alabama.

In the week from February 2nd to February 8th, the 2002 movie starring Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, and Josh Lucas made it to the most popular movies chart on Netflix globally. After amassing 4.4million views across the globe, Sweet Home Alabama is currently ranked fifth on the charts.

But in addition to that, Sweet Home Alabama remains the number one movie in two countries, including Cyprus and Bulgaria.

Although Netflix has initiated the resurgence of several primetime Hollywood classics by bringing them to streaming, Sweet Home Alabama’s appearance on the charts coincides with Valentine’s week. This means viewers are actively falling back on rom-coms this season of love, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Directed by Andy Tennant, the romantic comedy drama, currently streaming on Netflix, takes its title inspiration from Lynryd Skynyrd’s hit 1974 track. Sweet Home Alabama follows New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael, who has completely reinvented herself in the city, hiding her Alabama roots.

While she remains technically married to her high school sweetheart, Jake, upon getting engaged to the city’s most eligible and wealthy bachelor, Melanie must return to Alabama to secure a divorce from her estranged husband. Left with no other choice but to confront the past to start her life all over again, she returns to Alabama, setting her sights on the only prize she cares about: the divorce papers.

But during her visit, an unexpected realisation dawns upon Melanie about how homesick she truly had been. However, by home, we don’t just mean Alabama. As she begins to reconnect with Jake, Sweet Home Alabama tracks Melanie’s rediscovery of the self she had conveniently forgotten in New York. Although she eventually does return to New York, her heart remains where her home is: Alabama.

But what does that mean for Melanie and Jake? And most importantly, Melanie and her new fiancé? Well, any rom-com lover would already know the answer. However, if you’re new on the block, Sweet Home Alabama has all the answers your heart has been pining for.

So, in case you wanted something old to make your Valentine’s watchlist the perfect mix, Sweet Home Alabama is streaming on Netflix.