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Movies / On DVD / New in Town
New in Town

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New in Town (2009)

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Reviews Counted:136

Fresh:24

Rotten:112

Average Rating:3.7/10

Consensus: Cliched and short on charm, New In Town is a pat genre exercise that fails to bring the necessary heat to its Minnesota setting.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for language and some suggestive material.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Jan 30, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $16,699,684

Synopsis: Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track... Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track to being a CEO. With her spiked heels, plush bachelorette pad, and fierce collection of power suits, Lucy is unprepared when her boss sends her to snowy Minnesota to work on-site at one of the company's factories. Reluctantly leaving her sunny home, Lucy lands in New Ulm, a small town distinguished by a thick Midwestern accent, a strong work ethic, and an appropriately skeptical attitude toward big-city newcomers like Lucy, who finds herself in a brutal battle against several factory workers, a nosy assistant (Siobhan Fallon), and a stubborn union rep (Connick) who, as fate would have it, just happens to be a love interest as well. Zellweger appears a bit wooden at the start of the film but eases into her role as the film progresses. As her character grows more comfortable in her own skin and develops some empathy towards her new neighbors, we see Zellweger's familiar charm emerge. Much of the film's humor comes at the expense of Minnesotans, but the cast delivers the jokes in good fun. Director Jonas Elmer captures some chemistry between his two leads, though the film doesn't rely too heavily on this romance. Instead, it explores the differences in small- versus big-town life, exposing the unique, homey appeal of the former. By focusing on the people working behind the scenes, NEW IN TOWN celebrates a way of American life that is rarely the focus of Hollywood romantic comedies. [More]

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, J.K. Simmons

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, J.K. Simmons, Frances Conroy, Mike O'Brien, Rashida Jones

Director: Jonas Elmer

Director: Jonas Elmer
Screenwriter: Kenneth Rance, C. Jay Cox
Producer: Paul Brooks, Peter Safran, Darryl Taja, Tracey E. Edmonds
Composer: John Swihart
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

May 26, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • NTSC
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Subtitles - English, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary: Cast & Crew
  • Deleted Scenes: Deleted Scenes

Featurette:

  • 1. Making NEW IN TOWN in Winnipeg, Canada
  • 2. The Folk Art of Scrapbooking
  • 3. Pudding’s Delicious Role in NEW IN TOWN
 
 
 
 

Reviews for New in Town

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
splat
2/5

William Goss

Zellweger exudes none of the warmth and winsome behavior that helped raise the first Bridget Jones film to something solid.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 17 2009 10:29 AM

Cinematical

splat
1/4

Kam Williams

A transparent fish-out-of-water romantic comedy by A Danish director which won't work with an American audience.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2009 02:25 PM

NewsBlaze

N/R

Tom Meek

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 23 2009 03:16 AM

Boston Phoenix

tomato
3.5/4

Julian Roman

It pains me to admit, and I may be distinctly in the minority here, but I really liked this film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 02 2009 10:48 PM

MovieWeb

splat
1.5/4

Keith Cohen

This fish-out-of-water romantic comedy offers nothing new and sticks to a comfortingly predictable formula.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 20 2009 09:23 PM

Entertainment Spectrum

splat
2.5/5

Paul Byrnes

Most of the time [Zellweger] looks uncomfortable in the role -- as in, what am I doing in this hammy, undercooked movie?

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 06 2009 09:50 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 06 2009 03:15 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

splat
1/5

Edward Porter

The film starts off as a tedious, lifeless ordeal and it stays that way with a vengeance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 06 2009 01:12 AM

Sunday Times (UK)

splat

Philip French

This is a dopey piece of work, slack, derivative, sentimental.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 06 2009 01:08 AM

Observer [UK]

splat

Louise Keller

Jokes fall flat, the story goes limp and Zellweger will no doubt want to forget she was ever New in Town.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Mar., 04 2009 09:09 PM

Urban Cinefile

splat
2/5

Allan Hunter

Predictable and uninspired, it is one more example of the dumb comedies that Hollywood is churning out at an alarming rate.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 03 2009 01:54 AM

Daily Express

splat
1/6

Joshua Rothkopf

A shockingly banal script lends the movie a generic awfulness; you wish Zellweger were in better hands.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 04:40 AM

Time Out

splat
1/5

Wendy Ide

There are precious few laughs to be found in this tale.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 04:19 AM

Times [UK]

splat
2/5

Peter Bradshaw

Renée Zellweger's rabbity, dimply pout - surely the strangest facial expression in Hollywood - simpers and twitches out of the screen in this moderate girly flick that adheres with almost religious fanaticism to the feelgood romcom handbook.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 04:09 AM

Guardian [UK]

splat
1/5

Simon Reynolds

The most shocking thing about New In Town is the sheer lack of care that seems to have gone into it. It's as if a terrible TV script has been pulled out of a dusty drawer and padded out into a movie.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:42 AM

Digital Spy

splat
2/5

Lesley O'Toole

must have paid Zellweger a lot of money. Romcom fans should save theirs for repeat outings to He's Just Not That Into You.

comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:37 AM

Heat Magazine

splat
2/5

Elliott Noble

Handed a role that will amuse nobody but her bank manager, Zellweger displays an infectious lack of enthusiasm, convincing only in capturing the look of someone who wishes they would rather be anywhere else. It’s easy to sympathise.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:32 AM

Sky Movies

splat
2/5

Ken McIntyre

Recalling the shmaltziest bits of similar city-slicker-meetsbumpkin romcoms like Doc Hollywood and Sweet Home Alabama, New In Town is pure Valentine’s Day drivel.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:22 AM

Total Film

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:16 AM

Times [UK]

splat
0/5

Christopher Tookey

The screenplay is credited to Kenneth Rance and C. Jay Cox, but it's so shockingly inept, it might have been churned out by some cheap screenwriting software.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:13 AM

Daily Mail [UK]

 
 
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Latest News for New in Town

May 25, 2009: RT on DVD: New In Town vs. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus!
Let's be honest, folks; when the Renee Zellweger - Harry Connick Jr. romantic comedy New In Town is the biggest title in new release, you know it's a direct-to-video kind of... More...

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