2.5 stars. The title of my review pays homage to several influences that came to mind while watching "New in Town", all of which, I might add, were funnier than this. Multifaceted Oscar winner Renee Zellweger has finally encountered a role she can't pull off convincingly, that of a ruthlessly ambitious corporate management type tasked with turning around an underperforming factory. 'Fish out of Water' stereotypes abound as our plucky gal travels from Miami to New Ulm, MN (Winnipeg stands in for Minnesota here, and is even colder, if that is possible), to earn herself a promotion by making the factory profitable. As her entire wardrobe consists of designer suits and shoes more fitting of a fashion editor covering the Bryant Park shows than to a hard hat zone in Minnesota in the middle of winter, her new subordinates are doubtful that this will be achieved. As are we. Of course, the script demands that everyone, including the hunky union boss (Harry Connick, Jr.) take an instant dislike to the stuck-up big city suit intent on screwing them out of a job, until, of course, she reveals her pluckiness and charm and they win her over with tapioca and down-home Midwestern gumption. Renee Zellweger has proven that there is no other actress more willing to take physical pratfalls and otherwise look ridiculous as she, and she pratfalls her little heart out as she falls sideways in the snow; falls facedown in the snow; falls backwards off the porch into snow while drunk; gets her car stuck in the snow; and memorably tries to take a pee in the woods while wearing about 75 pounds of snowsuit. She works her little heart out to bring the funny, but the script lets her down and just never gels into a cohesive whole. Some of the supporting players are effortlessly hilarious, most notably Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Blanche Gunderson, who is certainly related to Frances McDormand's Sheriff Marge Gunderson of "Fargo", and J.K. Simmons (Spiderman; The Closer), nearly unrecognizable under a 10-pound beard and even heavier Minnesota accent. The leads unfortunately can't save this from being a freeze-dried piece of Rom-Com Screenwriting 101 complete with Midwestern sterotypes. Even if the good people of Minnesota have no other hobbies besides ice fishing, scrapbooking and eating tapioca (which I'm sure they do), this is insulting all the same. Matthau and Lemmon did this better, and had loads more chemistry, too. It's kinda a shame that so many cast and crew members braved frostbite for this frozen dud. But the Academy might consider minting a new award and making Renee its shoo-in first recipient: Best Performance in Stiletto Heels on Snow Pack by a Lead Actress. Really--she deserves some kind of recognition for that.
