NEW IN TOWN Review

If Renee Zelweger were any cuter, I think world peace might be possible after all. But it’s her character in this romantic comedy that… will get you hooked. NEW IN TOWN is surprisingly funny story of adjusting and falling in love with more than just a person. Anybody who’s ever lived in small towns would find it nostalgic and dead on.

Lucy Hill (Renée 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 jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straight forward 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.).

I like the story. Granted it’s not Oscar worthy material but be that as it may, I didn’t expect it to be so engaging and easy to relate to. It doesn’t have any of those cheesy over the top jokes that only the filmmaker and the crew would enjoy but instead, it carries simple sense of humor that will get you at least to chuckle, funny things at the cost of the winter cold for example, or at the cost of getting lost in the accent, or the huge difference in ways of thinking and doing things between a city girl and a country girl.

Renee Zelweeger is radiant, full of energy, even when her character seems to get beat down, she manages to capture our attention only because she has the charm of a leading lady. She has excellent comedic timing which is not anything new, keeping in mind that she’s tackled drama-comedy successfully in the past. Anytime that she tries to attempt something out of her comfort zone, that’s when you can expect hilarity to show up. It’s clear to see that everybody involved in this project did not have the desire to try too hard to make this movie more than what it is. The potline tells Reneez’s character dealing with the new place within the one year that she was there and I appreciate it’s not done in a way that Sex and the City Movie had its one year story which felt a bit slow.
Actor J.K. Simmons is under-appreciated, his performance as the wise-cracking Stu is proof that it’s only a matter of time before this man gets nominated in the near future. NEW IN TOWN will arouse your curiosity to get out of your comfort zone and try new places, setting, and habits.

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