Movie Notes: New In Town
= 1 star
Starring Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., J.K. Simmons
Directed by Jonas Elmer
Synopsis
Snooty Miami executive Lucy (Renee Zellweger) is dispatched to Minnesota to restructure a manufacturing plant, and soon finds the extreme cold, small town ways, and bristly local union rep Ted (Harry Connick Jr.) more than she bargained for.
The Good
- Some humor in urbanite Lucy’s inability to cope with the extreme cold and quirky small town setting (quaint accents, “Fish fry friday,” tapioca pudding). She’s improperly dressed, can’t hunt, and eventually drives a car into a snowy ditch.
The Bad
- Zellweger’s plucky charm from her Bridget Jones role is completely absent. There’s zippo chemistry between her and Connick Jr. — perhaps the icy temperatures rendered her frigid.
- From the one-sentence synopsis above, you know the rest. Lucy gains humanity. Opposites attract. She saves the plant. None are spoilers to anyone with an IQ above 60 below zero.
- Lucy’s plant-saving business plan comes off as completely ridiculous in this consumer-absent recession.
Conclusion
Bitter cold has frozen all life out of this one. Skip it.
IMDB: New In Town
Wikipedia: New In Town
Rotten Tomatoes: New In Town 18%