Rated PG
Directed by Jonas Elmer
Starring Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon, J.K. Simmons…
A fun love story between a woman… and a small town.
New in Town was warm, funny, with a dash of romance. It’s no My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Notting Hill, but it’s a nice pinch hitter in a long drought of romantic comedies.
The story is about Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger), 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 jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straightforward job assignment becomes a life-changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and, most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams (Harry Connick Jr.).
This film had me a little torn. At times it was fresh and fun, but it was also a little predictable and cliché at parts. Those scenes left a bad enough taste in my mouth to almost score it as a mere “Rental.” But I think audiences overall will find it “Theatre Worthy.”
Let me give you the quick good and bad.
THE GOOD:
- The Minnesota accents were hilarious. The best accents on film since Fargo.
- Some of my favorite actors were the character actors Siobhan Fallon and J.K. Simmons. You probably don’t recognize the names, but you’ll recognize their faces. Fallon is the quirky woman whose husband was snatched in Men in Black, and recently played the birthing instructor in Baby Mama (although her resume is much longer than that). She probably made the film for me. J.K. Simmons has been in almost a hundred different roles in the last decade including Assistant Police Chief Will Pope in TV’s The Closer, and J. Jonah Jameson in the Spiderman films. He not only nailed the accent, he nailed the role, as always.
- Anyone from a small town will love the small town dynamics portrayed by the film. “There goes Merle the Mailman.”
- Christian morals and ethics were presented on a fair playing field. The small town “Jesus lovers” seemed a little quirky at first, but those characters ended up being authentic and real. The movie also provides a moving scene where the town comes together singing Silent Night, complete with all “Jesus” and “Christ” lyrics. It seems that those words aren’t presented in a positive light very often in Hollywood today. New in Town conveyed these small town Christians as quirky but good people.
- In one scene, the two leads banter about the content of Justin Timberlake or Fergie and how appropriate their music is for young people. The discussion never resolves. I definitely plan on using that scene as a discussion starter when it is released on DVD.
THE BAD:- Lucy’s transformation was a little cliché. Almost forced at times.
- I wasn’t crazy about Zellweger in this role. Some women will like her. I think she should have quit after Jerry McGuire. It never got better than that for her.
- Without giving any spoilers, I thought the end was a little corny. The character actors were fine. The leads just weren’t that great. But that might reflect on the script. Connick was great in Hope Floats (a far better film).
Overall, I think audiences will enjoy it. Go in with average expectations. You’ll laugh. You’ll enjoy the film. But I strongly doubt it will make it to your DVD shelf.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Funny, the film removed some “strong language” to get a PG rating, instead of its initial PG-13 rating. Personally, I think more audiences will have problems with a couple risqué moments than an “f-word.” (I guess that depends what small town you’re from.) If you thought My Big Fat Greek Wedding was okay, then this film is probably parallel in content. There is not implied sex (like there was in both My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Notting Hill), but there are a couple, dare I say, “mature” moments.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
