“New in Town” is funny and cute, its like Bridget Jones in the U.P.

This supporting cast of folksy characters makes a mostly predictable formula better than your typical romantic comedy.
Renée Zellweger is back in a role that fits her, along with romantic interest Harry Connick Jr. and a fun cast of characters from New Ulm, Minnesota, this romantic comedy is the first true “date movie” of the year.

The movie opens with two of the quirkier characters from New Ulm in southest Minnesota – Blanche played by great character actress Siobhan Fallon (birthing coach in “Baby Mama” (2008), hostage in “The Negotiator” (1998), Edgar’s wife in “Men in Black” (1997)) and Trudy Van Uuden played by Frances Conroy – gossiping around the scrapbook table about Renée’s character coming to town.

Blanche and Trudy steal scenes back and forth until Stu the plant manager - played brilliantly by J.K. Simmons – is introduced, then the three characters shoot out one Min-uh-so-tahn one-liner after another.  Including Trudy Van Uuden telling Renée’s character Lucy how to spell her last name, saying ”thats double U, not dub-ya”.

Sure its a Minnesota stereotype… but they embrace it and all the actors fit right into this town of characters, including the waitress at the local diner, and yes, her name is “Flo”.

Renée’s character Lucy comes from Miami to the cold of southeast Minnesota and doesn’t fit in well with these well developed characters as the new President of the plant – which is the lifeblood of the town.

The premise of changes and downsizing at the plant also hits home for Michiganders in this economy with the prospects of job losses and plant closings, and the folksy characters of New Ulm not only are different from Lucy, they are leary of her arrival because it usually signals job cuts.

While she’s there, Lucy has one funny mishap after another as the “new person in town”, they range from her first introduction of cold weather at the airport to her crashing into a snowbank after her weekend flight home is cancelled.

THE BOTTOM LINE: (more…)