'New in Town' review

Harry Connick Jr. and Renée Zellweger (Credit: Rebecca Sandulak/Lionsgate)

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Ambitious Miami executive Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) eagerly accepts an assignment to travel to Minnesota and restructure a manufacturing plant. But as she flirtatiously spars with the local union rep (Harry Connick Jr.) and develops awkward friendships with her kindly secretary (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) and the plant’s gruff manager (J.K. Simmons), she realizes her task won’t be as easy as it seems.

The buzz: Unless you count George Clooney’s “Leatherheads” from last year (and we wouldn’t), Zellweger hasn’t headlined a romantic comedy since her “Bridget Jones” days. Her character here is clearly intended as a more confident, business savvier but no less lovelorn spin on that iconic role. Something to be wary of: while studios always offer up a female-targeted romantic comedy for Super Bowl weekend, it’s inevitably pretty bad (“Over Her Dead Body, “Because I Said So,” “Something New”).

The verdict: Perfectly adequate if you enjoy movies without a single surprise or ounce of creative inspiration. You'll know where this is heading before it begins, and the underwhelming work from Zellweger (she's just no good at being mean) and Connick (sometimes amusing, mostly forgettable) doesn't help. The supporting cast is a little better, with Fallon Hogan and Simmons allowing their small town folks enough dignity to steer clear of caricature. But the narrow, simplistic movie is destined to have the theatrical lifespan of a housefly.

Did you know? Zellweger admits in the film’s production notes that she signed on for this project shortly after seeing Hugh Grant in “Music and Lyrics,” suggesting that in Hollywood weak romantic comedies are indeed contagious.

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