I went and saw Southern Belles largely on the strength of one of the producers, Zack Sanders, seeming like such a nice guy at the opening party. It turned out to be a wonderful film.
Belle and Bell are two lifelong friends in Georgia. Belle dreams of a better life and starts trying to raise enough money for her and Bell to move to Atlanta. Hopeless romantic (and Gone With the Wind fan) Bell, having ditched her loser boyfriend Hampton, is willing to go along with the plan until she falls for a local policeman by the name of Rhett Butler.
The film was a tremendous amount of fun and a great showcase for the comedic abilities of Anna Farris (who plays Belle) and Fred Weller (who plays Bell's ex-boyfriend Hampton). The real find was Laura Breckenridge, who plays Bell. Laura is definitely an actress to keep an eye on. The casting director, Jennifer McNamara deserves particular credit for putting together such a wonderful cast. Also deserving of credit is Eric Haase who shot the film beautifully on Super 16.
The script was a little uneven in parts but was overall a very warm comedy with just the right amount of odd-ball goofiness for my liking. The filmmakers should be very proud of what they have achieved. I certainly found their accomplishment inspirational for my own career.