User reviews

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.

I think this film, while not a classic by any means, is being underrated at its current score. Admittedly, I came close to turning off the DVD ten minutes in, when it appeared to be little more than a cheesy send-up of life in the country. Yes, there are a few slapstick moments. And yes, the plot and its various "twists" are predictable. But if you suspend your cynicism and just take it in, it's not that bad of a way to spend an hour and a half. The film is somewhat unconventional in the sense that, unlike so many recent films set in small-town America, it does not portray residents as narrow-minded people in need of enlightenment. As the film progresses, the residents of New Ulm are increasingly shown as three-dimensional human beings. Their strong sense of family and communal ties is embraced, and in fact, portrayed favorably compared to the stark individualism celebrated by our mass culture. In its own way, the film suggests to the urban, "sophisticated" viewer that perhaps there is something to be learned from such people, or at least, that their cultural traditions should not be dismissed out of hand. A little sappy, yes, and predictable, but also heartwarming and a nice little glimpse into a slice of Americana we don't see portrayed that often on the big screen nowadays.

This film is about a business woman from a big city who got transferred to a small town. She encounters much trouble adjusting to the small town life.

"New In Town" is another romantic comedy with Renee Zellweger as a person who achieves despite her mischievousness. She is already heavily typecast, but then she really is adorable and likable so it is OK. The plot is very predictable, but is enjoyable mainly due to the small town warmth. Seeing acquaintances and colleagues help each other out, and giving hand made gifts is refreshing. It enhances the positive spirit of the film, and makes the characters more engaging.

"New In Town" is a heartwarming comedy, I enjoyed watching it.

"do you want me to go over the fireplace?" "no, i'm a city girl but i know how to light a fire. . . . where's the uh the switch?"

I enjoyed this movie and i usually detest romcoms.

this is well written, well acted, well edited and well directed. it has its charming moments and of course a few formulaic ones but all-in-all the cast and writing are so strong it works. great filming too. the music was fitting and the perfect punctuation to some scenes, especially that 10-second tune played as she raises the creative distress flag on her snow-wrecked car antenna. hilarious.

zellweger portrays a believable decisive corporate leader and brings great comedic timing and delivery to the role. i really enjoyed her in this -- she's a very strong lead and her humorous reactions at times reminded me of diaz in The Holiday. despite her corporate trained demeanor you sense a warmer spirit underneath if only it could be thawed, like keaton in Baby Boom.

connick, jr. delivers as always and the easy chemistry between the two makes their interactions relatable and interesting not cringey.

there are laugh out loud moments and only a spare amount of the sentimental romance stuff. and for a union girl like me this movie put the human back in human resources.

a delight.

6.5/10

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.

Although a personal Zellweger fan myself, I did not feel that this was one of her shining moments.

The movie was predictable-one of many romantic comedy plots that have graced the screens of theatres. The characters were rather stale and unoriginal, and the jokes were old enough to have multiple colonies of mould growing on them.

Haivng said that, there were some bright spots in the film (though admittedly not enough to power a small light bulb), they did save the film from making my "Worst Movies of 2009" list. The jokes and quips were cute, and the exaggerations on small town life were amusing.

Both Harry Connick Jr. and Renee Zellweger were just about average in this film; not bad enough to avoid like the plague for the rest of their movie careers, yet not good enough to stand out from a crowd of actors.

Special mention, however, must be given to Siobhan Fallen, who happened to be one of the "bright spots". Her accent and mannerisms were hilarious; one of the few things that saved this movie.

My suggestion? Don't waste your money watching it in theatres when you can do so in the comfort of your own home.

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

(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)

I found this film to be more ROMANTIC than comedy. RENEE ZELLWEGER plays an uptight, upwardly-mobile executive who's sent from Florida to revamp the food company's division in a small town in Minnesota. It's winter, she's massively unprepared for the weather, and people such as her assistant Blanche (SIOBHAN FALLON HOGAN) and Union rep Ted (played by HARRY CONNICK, JR.) work to try to help her acclimate to her surroundings and get along with the work force. The employees don't know what the company's overall plan is, and there are somewhat typical misunderstandings and machinations as she grows increasingly attached to the workers and tries to change the plans the headquarters has for the branch. It's fairly predictable, just mildly funny, but a generally warm-hearted diversion. In other words, it's effectively "Pleasant". I'd rate it a low 4 stars in that the acting is decent and it succeeds in its minor ambitions.

I rented this movie because I love Renee Zellweger and I love Harry Connick Jr.'s work. However, this movie serves as a reminder that no matter how talented the actor, his or her presence does not guarantee a good movie. New in Town uses every cliché in the book and manages to appear as a 'B' movie with what I am sure was an 'A' movie budget. Jokes that have been way overused (such as the one where character 'A' is busting bad on character 'B' to character 'C', then suddenly realizes that character 'A' is right behind him), are abundant in this movie. Unfortunately, they are not done well enough to work in New in Town. Renee Zellweger, whose work I have loved for so long, comes across as an amateur actor from her first appearance in the movie and does nothing to redeem herself in every subsequent shot. It is a case of overacting or worse, being obvious that you're trying to act but failing miserably. Harry Connick Jr. comes off slightly better than Ms. Zellweger although both seem to suffer from a bad script. Every overused formula and cliché which usually graces a romantic comedy is present but does not convince the audience that it belongs.....every attempt to do so seems self-conscious and bizarrely out of place. I rented this movie ready to love it but the film let me down. Personally, I cannot recommend that anyone waste their money or time on this one. There are so many excellent films available enough to keep this one from seeing the light of day. If not for the two big names of Zellweger and Connick Jr. I doubt that it would have. Don't bother!

I have no clue why some of these unfair and off balance reviews. I was expecting this movie to be very simple and average, I was pleasantly surprised and found it very funny and to have a great story line and heart warming lesson or two. Perhaps some of the stereotyping offended some? I thought it was dead on and rather funny. The campy, just rolled outta bed, let's make some home made crafts and pudding Minnesota characters were dead on accurate from my experiences visiting Minnesota. Whoever did the research and background on Minnesota obviously spent some time there and put it all together in a nutshell just perfectly for what is a very funny and heart warming story. Where is your sense of humor people? The story itself for that matter was one of believing in the common good as we see the educated and professional city girl played by Rene Z learn a few good lessons about more every day people. She takes a bad situation and turns it into something very good, great in fact. By the end if you follow the story you are left with a tear in your eye. I loved her character, loved her, Harry Connick was great too and so for Rene and the people who worked hard on this movie, it was well worth the rental and I will watch it again today before I return it in fact. Don't listen to these snooty know it all critics here, especially if you are a Rene Z or Harry Connick Jr fan, you will love this movie and story, I promise.

In this economic climate of corporate downsizing, one wonders how the corporate boys in monkey suits on the board run their business with the help of a spreadsheet. It's always easy to see which areas of the business bleed red, and decide then on to send hatchet-men to the ground to execute (pardon the pun) and prune various portions of that wound to try and stop the hemorrhage, failing which a complete amputation would be required. It's easy making such decisions from the ivory tower devoid of decent human interaction, but never easy from the folks on the ground to do it, because it leaves just a bad aftertaste, especially when the folks are friends, and people you know.

For Lucy Hill (a visibly aged Renee Zellweger), she's a high flying executive of a corporation headquartered in sunny Miami, but what I think was because of a sexist board, she gets sent off to the wintry conditions of a small Minnesota town to effect their wishes, and that is to remove 50% of the employee population there to keep an unprofitable factory there under some cost control. Being an alpha-female type who never say no to challenges and her career, she makes that journey and has this high-and-mighty air about her, which through the course of her stay in town, their warm hospitality, sense of humour and all round, small town camaraderie, will slowly thaw that cold heart of hers.

There were plenty of charming moments in the film, courtesy of a whole host of ensemble characters built for the plot, such as Siobhan Fallon's Blanche Gunderson, who becomes Lucy's personal assistant aka secretary, and in all earnestness, tries to establish a friendship with her would-be boss, as well as trying to hook Lucy up with the town hunk Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick Jr) who so happens to also be heading the workers' union. Complications naturally arise from this conflict of interest, which puts Lucy in two minds as she has her orders to follow, yet find herself inevitably drawn to follow her heart as well. And yes, this is also truly a romantic movie, which I thought had effectively balanced affairs of the heart as well as how modern day corporations run the shop, with pink slips being very easy to dish out.

Some portions remind me of a Hong Kong movie about a noodle factory (whose title eludes me at this moment, but starring Sam Hui and Tsui Hark, yes you read me right), where a band of merry men have to put aside their differences from their immediate manager and amongst themselves, to try and salvage their jobs and their livelihood. It's a pretty standard affair that you see both the problems and the solutions coming from a mile away when they're mentioned, and the plot is extremely straightforward as well, with no meandering twists and turns. But hey, it's supposed to be a romantic story, and both Zellweger and Connick Jr did well given their limited screen time together to make it all believable.

But the scene stealer here has got to be J.K. Simmons, who disappears effectively behind a fat suit and is quite unrecognizable. He represents the kind of supervisors that managers love to hate and have no qualms giving the marching orders to, but also serves as a reminder that such on-the-ground folks who garner the respect of the troops, are always worth their weight in gold, because once they're on your side, they have motivational techniques par none to get things done.

I was OK with the romantic plot here, but the Management 101 issues presented, was way more entertaining and valuable.

The so-called romantic comedy "New in Town" is a total mess of a movie in which small town, blue-collar Minnesotans are stereotypically depicted as hard working, but totally naive and dense. The director and writers of this movie should be made to live for a year in rural Minnesota just to get the feel for their subject.

Renee Zellweger's starring role is a relative cipher, meaning that she contributes nothing special to the movie. Any actress could have played this part.

Harry Connick, Jr.'s role was the only substantial one in the film, and at least he was allowed to demonstrate some intelligence and masculinity, traits not allowed to the other fake Minnesotans.

Especially unfunny and disappointing was the role played by J.K. Simmons. His performances are usually the highlight of any movie - but not in this case. The writers have given him absolutely nothing to work with.

The first significant aberration in the movie, though, was the jarring, totally inappropriate music. None of it fit the scenes in which it was played, not to mention that its volume often drowned out the scenes to which it was matched.

To be honest, I did hear a few females in the theater laughing on occasion, but not on so many occasions for this movie to be called a comedy.

This whole movie is an amateurish, paint-by-the-numbers effort and is already at the top of my list of Worst Movies of 2009.

Though its payoff scenes are as predictable as could be, this entertaining romantic comedy is an effective vehicle sure to please Renee Zelweger fans. Well-timed to a winter release (the film's heartwarming Xmas scene occurs early in the story as an intended anticlimax preceding the plot complications to come), this modern fable set in a small town in frozen Minnesota is well-photographed on atmospheric Manitoba locations. Zellweger top lines as the fish out of water, volunteering in her high-profile Miami based conglomerate to head north to makeover a tiny food plant, cut its workforce by half and retool for an automated new product launch. She's the typical jargon-laden, fast-track advancement type, dreaming of CEO-hood and sorely lacking in empathy or any recognizable people-to-people skills. Strutting around in inappropriate high heels (closeups of which are a bit overdone by Danish director Jonas Elmer making his Hollywood debut), she quickly alienates every Minnesotan in sight and looks to be headed for disaster in a hopeless hatchet-woman assignment. Led by a warm & funny supporting turn by Siobhan Fallon Hogan (who channels the local persona even better than Frances McDormand's Oscar-winning stint in Fargo), as her local assistant, a tapioca pudding whiz who spends equal time on scrapping (making scrapbooks) and religiosity, the very cute cast of hayseeds play off hard-bitten Zellweger quite well in a time-honored clash of city smarts vs. folksy wisdom. Sure it's very, very corny, but fun all the same. Harry Connick Jr. plays the area union chief who is always in view as Renee's romantic interest, and there is also a dynamite turn by J.K. Simmons (fresh from his triumph in Juno) as the plant foreman who runs afoul of Renee's plans. New in Town is not in the league of the great old movies of Riskin and Capra, but is genuinely amusing and a fine platform for Zellweger to display both physical & romantic comedy skills. The spectre of layoffs and disappearing companies we are currently living through was probably not in mind when this light feature was scripted and shot, but it resonates as a timely, escapist treatment of all-too-painful realities.

If you are looking for a cute romantic comedy in a drama-heavy season, then this movie is for you! We got to check out the premiere at the Mall of America and meet Harry Connick Jr as well as Siobhan Fallon, but it didn't sway our opinion of the movie much. It was very cute, and had a lot of Minnesota jokes which, as a transplant to this cold state, I thoroughly enjoyed. It was touching at times, funny at others, and overall, a great movie in which to escape. Renee Zellweger was good, but not great. Harry Connick Jr's character seemed one-dimensional at first, but then the layers unfolded and his acting talent began to show. Don't expect to compare this movie to the Oscar-nominated ones in the theatres right now and you will enjoy this movie very much. And enjoy the Minnesota jokes, because it really IS as cold as they make it seem in the movie!!

"New in Town" is a Comedy - Romance movie in which we watch a young woman traveling from Miami, Florida to a small Minnesota town for her work. There she meets a new and very different world from her own where she needs to adapt quickly.

I found this movie very funny and good since it combined very well comedy with romance in a very clever way. It was not the classic comedy - romance movie that everyone expected and that was something that made the difference. Despite its simple plot there were many interesting moments and it was not boring at all. The very good interpretations of both Renée Zellweger who played as Lucy Hill and Harry Connick Jr. Who played as Ted Mitchell helped the movie very much. Finally, I have to say that "New in Town" is a nice, funny movie to spend your time with and I recommend you to watch it because I am sure that you will laugh a lot.

All the way through this one I kept expecting Doris Day to turn up on screen (as granny or some such). It sure did remind me of some of her 50s n' 60s shows. Good old fashioned fun, as predictable as snow in a Minnesota winter and, judging from the Big Box Office returns - just what some folk needed as relief from the misery and grunge of this tired old world (especially in movies). Renee Zellweger is always a joy to watch and the chemistry between her and Harry Connick Jr seemed evident throughout - in fact, everyone seemed to havin fun. OK, it's no great shakes but then, some things just don't need to be!

If your lookin' for some ol time feel good, then this modern oldie could be just the tonic - why, it even looks well made for a change.

I have never seen more clichés and stereotypes in one movie. I've lived in Minnesota a good part of my life and have not once come across someone with an accent like the characters in this movie. Not even close. Not even believable. And the characters are portrayed as stupid, one dimensional baffoons. I don't mind folks being laughed at if there's a bit of truth to the joke, but this was total BS.

But anyway... assume for a second that it wasn't totally insulting. The movie would be horrible anyway. Five minutes into the movie and I'm thinking, who writes this stuff? But then I realize, oh yeah, about a million people have written this exact storyline about a thousand times. The whole thing, including the corny ending, was completely predictable from the very beginning.

The hip city chick has to live in the country and she hates the country folks because they're so simple minded and backward, but then all the predictable stuff happens and her feelings change and yada yada yada. And then there's the predictable romantic tension between the ambitious city girl and the dorky but handsome country dude with a heart of gold... Wow. How many times have we seen this plot? This has to be one of worst movies ever.

Having lived in several different areas of Minnesota, I can say that people are not at all like this. I don't know any people that speak with that odd accent. They don't shut off their brains and stare ahead with their mouths hanging open. They are well educated people. They participate in the same kinds of activities as do people in the rest of the country. The only thing I saw true to form for Minnesotan women is the scrap booking, although I would assume people do that in other states as well. There are people in Mn with very modern well decorated homes, not the corny wallpaper as shown in the movie. This movie made Mn residents look like drooling, brain dead idiots. And beyond that, the story was totally predictable. But it was nice as always to see Zellweger in a movie.

As a single independent female i look forward to these types of movies. Some deliver and some do not. If i can come away feeling hopeful and positive then it did its job. And i can assure you this movie did just that for me. It was cute and entertaining. The locations were complete opposites. Hot and humid in Miami and freezing in Minnesota. To see a character adapt to the cold after living in Florida and then also to adapt to the conservative lifestyles portrayed in this particular small northern Minnesota town, challenging. Renee always delivers. Harry Connick Jr. stole the show with his comedic timing. And the Actress playing Blanche and actor playing Stu also very funny. And did i mention the soundtrack ROCKS!

Predictable love story film about woman executive trying to save a small town business. Why was this filmed in Canada? This should have been filmed in New Ulm, MN instead of Canada. Yes, it probably cost less to film in Canada, but what are you saying in this film about saving businesses? Hypocrites! Can you imagine how the city of New Ulm could have been helped by producing the movie there instead of Canada? With the economy being in tough shape, this is just one move example of people not stepping up to do the right thing. I am from Minnesota and of course the accents and lifestyles are exaggerated in the movie to make a point. Just like the California Valley Girl caricatures are exaggerated in movies. I think that filming this out of the country is disgraceful!