On DVD: 'New In Town'

'New In Town' (PG-13) **

Writers: Kenneth Rance and C. Jay Cox
Director: Jonas Elmer
Starring: Renee Zelweger, Harry Connick, Jr., Jk Simmons, Siobhan Fallon Hogan

"New In Town" is one of those light romantic comedies where the two opposites attract and fall in love with each other. It is also one of those movies filmed in Canada that pretends to be filmed in the States. It is also trying to be a junior "Fargo" set in Minnesota where the home characters have those cute U.P. accents and then the city slicker has to come in and be the fish out of the water who has to adapt to the cold and the people. I wouldn't mind this if the movie had some meat to it and didn't just go through the motions. You have to care about the two main love interests but they have to be written better than this. Renee Zelweger plays the cold,bitchy executive and why does a woman who holds power always have to be a bitch and the men in power are just go getters and colorful. She takes over a food processing plant in Minnesota in a small town as she clashes with the Union rep and Chief. The Union rep is played by the always wonderful JK Simmoms and the Chief is played by Harry Connick, Jr. and by golly don't ya know they hook up at the end. Zelweger gets criticized a lot for being mannered and in this film since the character sucks she is mannered. Connick Jr. always seems to be on the cusp of stardom but picks too many duds. I wanted to see a better use of the great cold Minnesota but the film is shot in Canada, looks like a back lot set on a studio, and it is used for a car crash and Zelweger not wearing a coat and getting blasted with frigid air (Funny Ha!). If you want to see the real deal of this type of movie rent the DVD "Continental Divide" with the late John Belushi filmed wonderfully in Chicago and the great outdoors in real locations. Or you can rent "Feeling Minnesota" with Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz. Both films are fun and way better than this. This is like a light "Fargo" without the murder and there is another suggestion to see instead of this.