Movie Review: New In Town
I’m a fan of Renée Zellweger so this comedy made it into the DVD line-up to see. This is a typical romantic comedy with an average script but some good acting. Zellweger is Lucy Hill, an ambitious businesswoman in Miami who hopes to become Vice-President of the snack food company she works for. When she is assigned to revamp one of the company’s faltering factories the city girl faces life in the cold in a small town in Minnesota. With the movie being shot on location around Winnipeg, Canada, the weather virtually becomes another character in the movie. The special features on the DVD have actors talking about 50 degrees below zero weather so there’s no doubt the actors were pretty cold while filming the movie.
Zellweger does her best with this typical romantic comedy script. Zellweger is charming for what little charm is allowed in the character, and she and Connick Jr., who does a good job here, have nice chemistry together. There is a sweetness to parts of the film, no doubt attributed to the solid cast of actors. The standout performance in this movie is Siobhan Fallon Hogan, portraying a broad comic character but so expertly played by Fallon Hogan you believe in the character whole heartedly. J.K. Simmons is reliably good as usual but not used nearly enough in the film with the same being true of Frances Conroy. When you have superb actors such as Simmons and Conroy it is a shame the script doesn’t give them more time on screen.
The actors do the best they can with New In Town, but the script is simply lacking much original content other than quaint Minnesota sayings and customs. If you are a Renée Zellweger fan you should enjoy the film for what it is, a light romantic comedy. If you are ok with lightweight film fare, New In Town should fit the bill.
2009. Directed by Jonas Elmer. Starring Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon Hogan, J.K. Simmons, Mike O’Brien and Frances Conroy.
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