Nothing new about this one.

Grade: C

New in Town

Indian Release Date: 27/11/09
CBFC Classification:  U/A
Running Length: 1 Hour 36 minutes

Cast: Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon Hogan, J.K. Simmons
Director: Jonas Elmer
Screenplay: Kenneth Rance and C. Jay Cox
Cinematography: Chris Seager
Music: John Swihart

You know what I like about this kind of movie; you know exactly what you’re getting. And I’m sure some of you can identify with me when I say that, because sometimes you just want to sit down and not have to think too much, just relax out and watch what we call ‘chewing gum for the eyes’. On the other hand of course for some of you this kind of movie is like ‘razorblades for the eyes’.

‘New in Town’ is the story of Lucy Hill played by Renée Zellweger, a high flying executive in Miami who is out to prove she can make it to the top. She finds herself in a fix when her boss asks her to relocate to a small town in Minnesota to manage the improvement of one of the company’s manufacturing plants. She has no choice but to agree and within no time she is on a flight to Minnesota.

Totally unprepared for the harsh weather and the small town mentality she finds it extremely hard to settle in and ends up alienating herself from the locals. Morale is low in the manufacturing plant and she has great difficulty dealing with the workers as they have no faith in her. She meets the union representative Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick, Jr.) and is embarrassed to realize he is the same guy who pulled her out of her car when she crashed and got trapped in the deep snow & of course it’s only a matter of time before he turns into the obligatory love interest.

As time passes she warms up to the place and the locals and begins to enjoy life a little in the small town. All bears well until she is informed by her boss in Miami that the numbers don’t add up and she must shut the factory down.

In its own little way ‘New in Town’ shows us the fight between big and small, country versus city, good against evil and of course I don’t need to tell you which wins. It’s a real ‘put your woolies on’ and ‘make a cup of cocoa’ kind of movie. With the friendly accents, cozy little interiors, a love story and a small moral message director Jonas Elmer has followed the ‘big city person-small town life’ romcom guidebook to the tee. Though it’s not a very good romcom mind you and was a huge critical & commercial flop when it released. But at least it doesn’t pretend to be something else.

Renée Zellweger is as she always is, like a baby bird trying to smile for the camera. I find her the same no matter what role she’s in, similar to how Hugh Grant is always the same in every movie. Still I forgive everyone because sometimes we need a little bubble-gum romance in our lives.

Final Verdict: Watch if you’ve had a hard day and the weather has beaten and bruised you on the way home. Have a bath, make some hot chocolate and press play. Doesn’t matter if you fall asleep half way through, it’s done its job.

Grade: C

 

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