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Starring: Renée Zellweger Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon Hogan and JK Simmions

Directed by: Jonas Elmer

Rated PG for language and some suggestive material

By John Delia

Zellweger is at the top of her game in New in Town, a quirky little film that made me laugh a lot. What makes this film work so well is the sharp direction by Elmer. If you like films that make laughter from screwball antics, have a moment of emotion and move along at a good pace, then this film should be high on your radar.
Lucy Hill (Zellweger) is an ambitious, up and coming executive living in Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment - in the middle of nowhere - to restructure a manufacturing plant, she accepts the opportunity, knowing a big promotion is close at hand. Working in Minnesota, anyone can do that. Right! Well when Lucy gets there in the dead of winter, she starts getting second thoughts. Especially since the locals are not ready for change and more so not from a woman. What begins as a straightforward job assignment becomes a life changing experience.
I liked Connick, Jr. as the love interest in this film. His character Ted heads up the union that is involved in Lucy’s manufacturing plant and he has to go head-to-head with her on several occasions, most of which hinder a budding romance. In support of the hilarity, Hogan plays Blanche Gunderson, a nosey woman who ends up being the matchmaker. Her accent along with the others in the central northern state makes for even more laughter.
Directing a comedy is probably the toughest genre since timing and choreography of the blunders are very important and Elmer nails it in New in Town. Elmer’s Lucy finds herself falling off a porch or fighting with a zipper so she can pee or getting a heel caught in a grate, putting her in some of the most bungling situations that are timed with some good dialogue.
The only downside with the film is it’s predictable ending. But you know what? So what, it’s a fun comedy, and to watch Zellweger doing what she does best is well worth the price of admission.
The film is rated PG but plays well to the whole family. A word of warning, however there is some language and some suggestive material.

FINAL ANALYSIS: New in Town is a film for those who want a lot of laughs. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)