THE MOVIE PAGES presents RENEE ZELLWEGER & HARRY CONNICK JNR in NEW IN TOWN newintown.htm

What Do The Critics Say?

"It has a certain Midwestern charm that settles calmly in the stomach, making the viewer feel warm, comfortable, and quick to smile."
Jason Buchanan TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE
"It is as formula as they come. However, not all formula is bad."
Gary Wolcott TRI-CITY HERALD
"The warmth of love thaws even the coldest of corporate hearts in this easy-to-take Zellweger vehicle."
Ron Wilkinson MONSTERS AND CRITICS
"With charming performances by Hogan and Simmons, this is a feel-good movie that I enjoyed. Who cares if it's derivative?"
Tony Medley TOLUCAN TIMES
"Comedy-drama that stays watchable thanks to a likeable cast and some decent dialogue."
Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON
"Hogan steals the show with a great sense of timing as Blanche, pulling laughs out of her character’s tendency to blurt out the most unexpected comments. Zellweger and Connick have a good screen chemistry that serves the romance well."
Michael Janusonis THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
"There is the expected smattering of slapstick moments and Connick Jr delivers the requisite outdoorman charm to show Renee just how cool the cold can be."
Mark Adams UK SUNDAY MIRROR

"Zellweger and Connick make a believable couple and one with real oil and ater don't mix sparks. This is what romantic chemistry looks like."
Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL
"New in Town is better than standard rom-com fare, dontcha know?"
Christian Toto WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH?
"There's a Capra-esque joy in this small and unpretentious movie."
Greg Quill TORONTO STAR
"The warmth of love thaws even the coldest of corporate hearts in this easy-to-take Zellweger vehicle. Renée Zellweger takes the ball and runs with it as ridiculously out of place Miami manufacturing executive Lucy Hill. Fun for the whole family and a wonderfully correct first-date film."
Ron Wilkinson MONSTERS & CRITICS
"Zellweger and Connick are likable, and J.K. Simmons is a low-key gas as a plant supervisor."
Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS
"New in Town is a fun little flick that delivers a decent message and makes me want to visit Minnesota."
Kevin McCarthy CBS RADIO
"Frozen nipples, a borderline dragon lady in distress, and class struggle at the dinner table. And the first movie this year to go toe to toe with the looming financial crisis, and those who suffer its effects most. Norma Rae In Stilettos."
Prairie Miller NEWSBLAZE

The Inside Story Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Screenwriter Kenneth Rance was out one night at a club in his hometown and met an attractive woman on the dance floor who was clearly not a local. After buying her a drink, he learned she was from North Carolina and living in New Ulm as an executive at a local food plant. She recounted to him the pressures of trying to climb the corporate ladder, dealing with the locals, trying to earn their respect, and the loneliness of being new in town. "At that moment, I knew her story was a movie," says Rance ("Wednesday Afternoon". "I didn’t write the script right away. I carried the story with me for quite awhile, but I’ve always believed that the best stories are true stories." One of Rance’s goals with the script involved accurately capturing the very friendly, warm and Christian-based community values of New Ulm, population: 13,593. With the majority of its residents of German and Swedish descent, it has become known as the most German town in America. "I wanted the story to be authentic and organic, complete with the town’s local accent, culture and language, so if a New Ulm resident were to see the film, they’d say I got it right," he said. Once he had completed the script, Rance partnered with producer Darryl Taja ("Pursuit of Happiness"), who later brought on-board fifteen year veteran and mother of two (Brandon and Dylan Michael) Tracey E Edmonds (who heads her production company Edmonds Entertainment) to help produce the film. Edmonds particularly related to the female perspective of the story. "It’s about a young lady who’s trapped in an old boy's network at the office and who's trying to climb the corporate ladder and prove herself. And she ends up trying to prove herself by taking this assignment that no one wants. I thought it was a story that a lot of working women could relate to." Eventually, Paul Brooks of Gold Circle Films ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding" & "The Wedding Date") acquired the project and screenwriter C. Jay Cox ("Sweet Home Alabama") came aboard to further develop the story. Like Rance, Cox mined the comic possibilities of Lucy clashing with the small town, rural lifestyle of New Ulm. "The drastic change she undergoes from Miami to New Ulm made the potential for comedy endless," says Cox. Hoping to capture the authentic spirit of New Ulm, the filmmakers worked hard to create a diverse, believable supporting cast, bringing J.K. Simmons ("Thank You for Smoking"); Golden Globe winner Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under")and Siobhan Fallon Hogan ("Forrest Gump" & "Baby Mama") aboard for major supporting characters. Simmons, widely known for his work as the father of a pregnant teen in the indie hit, "Juno, gained thirty five pounds to play Stu Kopenhafer, a New Ulm local and no-nonsense, blue-collar guy who clashes with Lucy’s corporate values. Hogan plays the vital role of Blanche Gunderson, a character who reflects the town’s warmhearted community spirit and develops an unlikely friendship with Lucy. Oscar ® winner Renée Zellweger ("Cold Mountain") is widely regarded as one of the most versatile actresses of her generation, was eager to try her hand at a traditional romantic comedy. "I was working on "Leatherheads" in the Carolinas," she explained, "and we wrapped early one day, and I went to see "Music and Lyrics" because I love Hugh Grant. I loved it and it reminded me of the important place romantic comedies have in our pop culture lexicon."

"They make us laugh and help us escape real life," Zellweger continued. "I read the script for "New In Town" shortly thereafter, and I was completely taken to another place and thought, This is it." "I thought the script was a refreshing romantic comedy set in a community with a lot of heart and old fashioned values," says producer Paul Brooks. "Renée was absolutely our first choice for the role of Lucy Hill!" Zellweger relished the opportunity to demonstrate her skills as a physical comedian, taking full comic advantage of perfectionist Lucy Hill’s clash with the sub-zero weather and New Ulm’s quirky values. Because of conditions, Zellweger was provided with a stuntwoman, but on the first day of filming, Zellweger realized that she wanted to perform her own stunts, even if it meant falling repeatedly on cold, hard ice. "That's the fun part, you know?" she said excitedly. "The fun part is making a jerk out of yourself in the snow and face planting and getting to be creative with it and ridiculous. And there's no way I was going to miss out on that. No way! I laughed myself silly watching what an idiot I was. It’s so funny because Lucy is so determined to be perfect." "Whether she does a drama or a romantic comedy, Renée completely commits," notes Brooks. "She's a naturally very gifted comedian. If there's a goofy moment, then it's there for a reason and she'll embrace it." Zellweger also made it a point not to shy away from Lucy’s less appealing qualities at the start of the story. Lucy begins as a materialistic, highly driven corporate player, and gradually she learns, through her relationships with the citizens of New Ulm, to appreciate community, loyalty, real friendship, and a simpler, more grounded lifestyle. That the three time Golden Globe winning Zellweger (" Bridget Jones's Diary", "Chicago" & "Cold Mountain") charts this journey without ever losing the audience’s sympathy is a testament to her particular brand of charisma. "Renée has this really endearing quality where you just root for her no matter what situation her character is put into," says producer Tracey Edmonds. "Lucy’s trying to prove herself. She’s still got a lot of insecurities, and Renée has the ability to expose those aspects of the character and make her likable despite her flaws." The most formidable challenge Lucy faces comes in the form of Ted, the union leader of the factory she has been sent to restructure. Played in the film by actor and musician, Harry Connick Jr ("Memphis Belle" & "Little Man Tate"), Ted is a blue-collar guy who cares deeply about his community and the welfare of the employees whose jobs are under siege. Naturally, Lucy and Ted dislike each other, resulting in a battle of wits that has been a staple of romantic comedies since the heyday of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. "I’m in it for the workers," says Emmy Award winner Connick Jr. "And Lucy wants to not only disrupt the apple cart, but take everybody’s jobs as well. So I don’t take too kindly to that. I can see it a mile away, and I’m very prickly when she comes around." "The conflict is fun and it makes you interested in what's going to happen when it's not easy, you know?" adds Zellweger. "When the guy that she meets is not interested or a little hard on her or when it really doesn't seem likely that they're going to become couple, it's a fun ride to go on." "Harry is a great actor with loads of charisma," says Edmonds. "He’s wonderfully Southern and really has that 'regular guy' charm necessary for the character of Ted, which creates the perfect chemistry with Renée’s uptight character."

As with Zellweger, three time Grammy winner Connick Jnr found the films light, comedic tone appealing, but the real draw was the opportunity to work with his co-star. "The first thing that really caught my attention was Renée," he admits. "I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time and I was really looking forward to working with her. She’s just a unique personality. She’s brilliant. She’s magnetic. And when the cameras roll, her mastery of the art form is so clear. She understands what makes a scene work. Fortunately, we share the same sense of humor, so we really enjoyed our time together. I’m very proud to now call her one of my close friends." "Harry’s very generous and really good at what he does," says Zellweger. "And he's so nice to have around, so positive and supportive of everybody on the set. That man shows up and he makes it a better day. If there's a guitar on set he's going to pick it up and he's gonna sing a song about every person in that crew." Following Zellweger’s commitment to play Lucy, producer Paul Brooks began the search for a director and chose up-and-coming Danish filmmaker Jonas Elmer after watching his debut film, NYNNE. "I really enjoyed his film and I thought he would be an interesting choice," Brooks remembers. "The movie had wonderful energy, great characters and was funny as hell." 1998 Robert Festival Best Film (Årets danske spillefilm) winner Elmer ("Let's Get Lost") immediately reacted to the depth of the characterizations in Kenneth Rance’s and C. Jay Cox’s script. "To be honest, character is really the only thing that matters to me," he admitted. "I thought that the characters were very three-dimensional and I completely fell in love with them. And the comedy in the script came out of the characters. There wasn’t a lot of comedy that was forced or pushed." "Jonas has a strong sense of humor, he appreciates a good story and real characters and he really threw himself in the project." Brooks reveled. Elmer and Zellweger quickly discovered they shared a similar sense of humor, and their preparation involved exploring comedic influences like Peter Sellers, Carol Burnett and Imogene Coco. "Jonas likes the unpredictable," Zellweger notes. "He's not saccharin. And anything that feels disingenuous is eliminated. It made me trust him immediately. I sat down and had confidence in him just by listening to his references and what he thinks makes a film worthwhile." Jonas, in turn, was duly impressed by Zellweger’s professionalism and vast experience in front of the camera. "She's so incredibly strong in a close-up, but she also knows exactly what to do when she does physical comedy in the medium shot and the wide shot. We got so many options in the editing room, which is such a gift from an actor. And in the scenes with physical comedy, it was just fantastic to watch her. She has no vanity. She just commits to the scene. Tne formidable challenge awaited the production when shooting began in Canada, which served as a stand-in for the town of New Ulm, MN: they found themselves in the midst of record-breaking winter temperatures of -47 °C (-52.6 °F). "It was like working on the moon," recalls Zellweger. "Most people don't even know what 57 below feels like. You freeze to death in two minutes. Anything that's exposed to the elements you lose." Equipment literally froze, halting all filming. When they worked, cameras couldn’t roll for longer than a minute, otherwise the heat they generated would fog up the lenses." Synopsis

Miami, home to Lucy Hill, 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 Minnesota to work on-site at one of the company's factories. It seems no-one else wants the job of down-sizing the factory, after all, they know it's happened before. 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 and, a stubborn union rep who, as fate would have it, just happens to be a single dad. It's winter in Minnesota. Lucy feels totally out of place. She longs for the warmth of sunny Miami. Can she win over the locals?

The Verdict

"While many cinemagoers will discover we have seen it all before and yes, we know where it's heading, "New In Town", is in the modern era, a most refreshinging change from what Hollywood usually dishes up as 'romantic' these days. Perhaps I was a little more fortunate than others (the critics), because I took this in the night after seeing "The Watchmen". Could it be I'm easily pleased? Don't think so! Regular readers will have noticed there are films that sometimes 'go missing' (ie: not reviewed) on this site. The reason is simple: they were probably crap and didn't warrant me wasting my precious life on them. It would be easy, in light of what we usually get fed as entertaining, to label "New In Town" as a little ordinary. Sure it is formulaic. But it's a tried and tested formula. Yes it's a little old fashioned. By 'old fashioned' substitute: having no barebreasts, nor arse-cheeks seperated by a thinly wedge thong or, sex scenes where no matter the era or setting, the woman is always on top, banging away to their hearts content until they reach an eye-rolling, head tossing, orgasmic finale. Having taken that on-board it shouldn't be too hard appreciating a film like "New In Town". A heartwarming rom-com set in a bitterly cold Minnesota winter. Worth having a look at! 3 1/2 STARS." Who's Who?

Renée Zellweger
Harry Connick Jr
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
J.K. Simmons
Mike O'Brien
Frances Conroy
Ferron Guerreiro
Barbara James Smith
James Durham
Robert Small
Wayne Nicklas
Hilary Carroll
Nancy Drake
Stewart Zully
Marilyn Boyle
Dan Augusta
Jimena Hoyos

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Lucy Hill
Ted Mitchell
Blanche Gunderson
Stu Kopenhafer
Lars Ulstead
Trudy Van Uuden
Bobbie Mitchell
Joan
Rob Deitmar
Donald Arling
Harve Gunderson
Kimberley
Flo
Wallace Miller
Winnie
Billy Gunderson
Cathy

The Production Team

Director
Writer
Producers

Original Music
Cinematography
Film Editor
Casting
Production Designer
Supervising art director
Art Direction
Set Decoration
Costume Designer

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Jonas Elmer
Ken Rance and C. Jay Cox
Paul Brooks/Tracey E. Edmonds/Phyllis Laing
Andrew Paquin/Peter Safran/Darryl Taja
John Swihart
Chris Seager
Troy Takaki
Eyde Belasco and Jim Heber
Dan Davis
Edward Bonutto
Rosa Palomo
Stephen Arndt
Lee Harper and Darena Snowe