New in Town (2009)

A Miami businesswoman adjusts to her new life in a tiny Minnesota town.

Director:

Jonas Elmer

Writers:

Ken Rance (as Kenneth Rance), C. Jay Cox

Stars:

Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon Hogan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Renée Zellweger	...	Lucy Hill
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Ted Mitchell
Siobhan Fallon Hogan	...	Blanche Gunderson
J.K. Simmons	...	Stu Kopenhafer
Mike O'Brien	...	Lars Ulstead
Frances Conroy	...	Trudy Van Uuden
Ferron Guerreiro	...	Bobbie Mitchell
James Durham	...	Rob Deitmar
Robert Small	...	Donald Arling
Wayne Nicklas	...	Harve Gunderson
Hilary Carroll	...	Kimberley
Nancy Drake	...	Flo
Stewart J. Zully	...	Wallace Miller (as Stewart Zully)
Marilyn Boyle	...	Winnie
Dan Augusta	...	Billy Gunderson

Storyline

A high-powered consultant in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle is sent to a middle-of-nowhere town in Minnesota to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant. After enduring a frosty reception from the locals, icy roads and freezing weather, she warms up to the small town's charm, and eventually finds herself being accepted by the community. When she's ordered to close down the plant and put the entire community out of work, she's forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and finds a way to save the town.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | united states of america | usa | plant | minnesota | 

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Taglines:

She's an executive on the move. But her career is taking her a little farther than she expected.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some suggestive material

Details

Official Sites:

Lionsgate [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chilled in Miami

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,741,530, 1 February 2009

Gross USA:

$16,734,283

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,970,613

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Gold Circle Films, Epidemic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview on Rachael Ray: Episode #3.100 (2009) Renée Zellweger said the temperatures in Winnipeg were so cold during filming (as low as -55° C or -67° F), the camera could only run for up to 1 minute per take, to prevent the heat generated by the camera's electric motor from cracking the icy lens.

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Goofs

Renee Zellwegger's expression and pose when her photo is taken in the car are different in the photo that appears in the scrap book.

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Quotes

Blanche Gunderson: And that's okay? It's okay to pull the rug out from under folks as long as it's nobody that you know? It's okay because we're just silly podunk Minnesotans, right? We talk funny and we ice-fish and we scrapbook and we drag Jesus into regular conversation. We're not cool like you, right? So we don't matter.

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, we're shown what is supposed to be the completed version of the scrapper book that Siobhan Hogan's character gives to Renee' Zellweger's. Various stills from the movie are shown as pictures 'pasted' into the scrapbook, along with humorous tag lines on each (page).

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Connections

Featured in The Folk Art of Scrapbooking (2009)

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Soundtracks

That's Where It Is
Written by Melissa Peirce, Gregory Becker and Steve Robson
Performed by Carrie Underwood
Courtesy of 19 Recordings Ltd. and Arista Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with Sony/BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Underrated

I think this film, while not a classic by any means, is being underrated at its current score. Admittedly, I came close to turning off the DVD ten minutes in, when it appeared to be little more than a cheesy send-up of life in the country. Yes, there are a few slapstick moments. And yes, the plot and its various "twists" are predictable. But if you suspend your cynicism and just take it in, it's not that bad of a way to spend an hour and a half. The film is somewhat unconventional in the sense that, unlike so many recent films set in small-town America, it does not portray residents as narrow-minded people in need of enlightenment. As the film progresses, the residents of New Ulm are increasingly shown as three-dimensional human beings. Their strong sense of family and communal ties is embraced, and in fact, portrayed favorably compared to the stark individualism celebrated by our mass culture. In its own way, the film suggests to the urban, "sophisticated" viewer that perhaps there is something to be learned from such people, or at least, that their cultural traditions should not be dismissed out of hand. A little sappy, yes, and predictable, but also heartwarming and a nice little glimpse into a slice of Americana we don't see portrayed that often on the big screen nowadays.