NEW IN TOWN (2009)

Though not a major stand-out as far as romantic comedies go, there is still a certain something that makes New In Town special. The premise follows a fairly typical plotline: the stuck-up city girl doesn't fit in with the small town folk. She initially rejects the local hunk, and vice versa, but the innate goodness (and sexiness) of each eventually shows itself and, of course, they fall in love. How many endless variations are there of this story? And the pencil-skirted, high-heeled girl, toting too much luggage? Again?

It was the underlying theme that was most intriguing: the struggle of the working class against the faceless CEOs - the employee-owned business against the mega-corporation. Putting all that aside, something kept me watching, and it was more than Harry Connick Jr, playing union representative Ted Mitchell, who, frankly, looked a little seedy in his overgrown facial hair and ill-hidden paunch. It was more than Renee Zellweger who is quite good when she tries hard and she does just that in her role as Lucy Hill, an executive at Munck foods, transferred from Miami to Minneapolis to oversee a product shift and subsequent lay-offs. It was more than the excellent supporting cast, namely Siobhan Fallon, J.K. Simmons and Frances Conroy, all of whom possess a sense of comedy and subtle finesse in wielding their craft which is a joy to witness. It was even more than the pervading Minnesot'n accent used throughout, which I, for one, just can't get enough of. It was the underlying theme that was most intriguing: the struggle of the working class against the faceless CEOs - the employee-owned business against the mega-corporation. New In Town has more than romance and comedy, it has a message that speaks to people in these rough economic times, giving us more to think about than will the boy get the girl (or the other way around), which, according to rom-com rules, is always yes. The two leads were well chosen by director Jonas Elmer. Neither Connick Jr nor Zellweger are exactly young anymore, both showing a little age, appropriate to their characters. And I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but sweatpants, snowboots and a freshly scrubbed face look better on Ms Zellweger than a business suit, heels and a pound of cosmetics. Of all the romantic comedies that fly through the theatres to DVD, this one is decidedly worth the effort of curling up on the couch with, in our own sweatpants; make-up optional.

Movie reviewed by Georgina Young-Ellis

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