New in Town

Guess what is not new in town at your local movie theatre? Another formulaic romantic comedy. This one is called "New in Town" but old in design. Not new= a female protagonist trying to prove that she can tackle any challenge. In this case, a once again mediocre Renee Zellweger plays Lucy Hill; an executive living in sunny Miami who is ordered to reside in cold Minnesota for a few months to play efficiency expert at a company plant. Not new= independent girl bickers with hometown boy and eventually fall in love. In this case, a once again mediocre Harry Connick Jr. plays Ted Mitchell; a Minnesota labor union rep who fights with Lucy and then … well, do I have to repeat myself? Not new= Female protagonist is seen by small town residents as an unruly big city tyrant and then eventually changes her ways because of unforeseen circumstances. In this case, Lucy is seen as the "mad slicer of jobs" by the plant workers until …….. well, do I have to repeat myself again? To say the least, Director Jonas Elmer fuddles and struggles to provide creativity in "New in Town" and does not give Minnesotans justice by copycatting the "Fargo" character playbook. Jonas my brother, sorry to share! Screenwriters Ken Rance and C. Jay Cox did not interject any verbose ingenuity in "New in Town"; in fact, everything sounded kind of old. Now there is something that kind of salvaged the film from the boring cold! That came in the form of another spectacular (also not new, but we like this one) acting performance by the underrated J.K. Simmons as a Plant Foreman. "New in Town" should not be deported from your movie wish list, thanks to Simmons, but then again it is far from being the best new movie in town. *** Average

In 1953 Richard Bissel wrote a novel titled "7&1/2 Cents." In 1955 his novel became the book for a Broadway Musical titled "The Pajama Game." Then George Abbott had Bissel write the screenplay for a musical film version of the play. In that movie, as in the book, a female Iowa pajama factory worker who is head of the union at the factory falls in love with a male superintendent who has been hired by the factory's boss to help oppose the workers' demand for a pay rise (7 & 1/2 cents.) Take this book and change the male role into the union rep and make the female role to be an executive from a corporation who want to downsize the candy factory or close it down. Then move it from the Sunny South to the frozen north (Minnesota,) remove the music, and you have this film. I just simply could not get the "The Pajama Game" or "7&1/2 Cents" out of my mind as I watched this film. And the ending was exactly the same.

(Synopsis) Lucy Hill (Renee Zellweger) is a high achiever shooting to become a Vice President. To show the President that she has the ability, she takes an assignment to restructure one of their small manufacturing plants in Minnesota. From the high life in Miami to the bitter cold, snow, and icy roads, Lucy must endure these hardships to succeed. Lucy is treated as an outsider when she arrives, and the locals give her a week before she leaves. Lucy is a fighter and wants to win. She meets Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick, Jr.) who is the union representative. At first, she has some conflicts with the workers, but soon they begin to accept her. The new product line is a bust, and she is ordered to close the plant and fire everyone. However, she has a better idea of making money for the company and saving everybody's job.

(My Comment) This is your typical chick flick, girl meets boy, she thinks he is a loser, and he thinks she is too. After a few disaster type dates which should have ended the whole thing, you guessed it, they get involved. Along the way, they save the company, and both become heroes. Renee Zellweger did a fine job of being the outsider in the small Minnesota town and getting them to accept her. What do you think, who wouldn't accept Renee Zellweger. I know the women will like Harry's performance as well. Even though you know how the story will end, you will still enjoy the movie. You will love listening to the Minnesota accents that were used, and seeing some of their customs. (Lionsgate, Run Time 1:36, Rated PG-13)(5/10)

My daughter and I really enjoyed this film. We weren't expecting much, but were pleasantly surprised by the humorous take on Minnesota life. Yes, the accents are overdone and no, it isn't really 10 degrees below zero from November thru April here in Minnesota, but those exaggerations aside, it did hit on many "traditions" like meatloaf, polka music, hunting, blizzards, and ice fishing. If you are from Minnesota, Wisconsin or North Dakota, you will most likely understand all of the one-liners and euphemisms. If you haven't experienced life in the frozen tundra of the upper Midwest, this movie will probably not make sense to you. Also, the actors in this film seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. I can't recall ever noticing that in any other movie I've seen. It just seemed very genuine and sincere to me.

Having spent the 1st 22 years of life in Wisconsin, I got all the jokes, I related to the accent, the unpredictable winter weather, (not the moose but I've been sideways in a ditch a few times) and I definitely related to the small town we can do this attitude and yeah, there can be some attitude towards outsiders too. All in all,, the whole cast did a great job and the movie was cute and heartwarming. I got a kick out of it.