Follow @screenit

"NEW IN TOWN" (2009) (Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr.) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Moderate Minor Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Romantic Comedy: A rising corporate star from Miami travels to a small and snowy Minnesota town where she initially looks down on the place and its residents while planning to overhaul the company's factory, but has a change of heart once she gets to know everyone, including the local union rep who she starts to fall for. PLOT: Lucy Hill (RENÉE ZELLWEGER) is a rising star in the Munck Foods corporation, based in Miami. When her company takes over a processing plant in the small, snowy town of Ulm, Minnesota, she reluctantly agrees to go there and oversee its switchover to a new automated system that will result in both a new product and the downsizing of the workforce by half. Met by her chatty personal assistant, Blanche Gunderson (SIOBHAN FALLON HOGAN), Lucy doesn't think much of their tiny town, cold weather, or folksy charm. And she certainly doesn't appreciate what she thinks is Blanche trying to fix her up with Ted Mitchell (HARRY CONNICK JR.), single dad to 13-year-old Bobbie (FERRON GUERREIRO). Little does she know that he's actually the local union rep with whom she must negotiate regarding the plant's workers, including foreman Stu Kopenhafer (J.K. SIMMONS). He doesn't think much of her type, a feeling that runs rampant through Ulm, but that chilly relationship eventually begins to thaw. Yet, as Lucy starts to forge friendships with the likes of Blanche and maybe even romantic feelings for Ted, she must contend with the job at hand and how that conflicts with her newfound feelings toward the town and its residents. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or romantic comedies, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For language and some suggestive material. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: RENÉE ZELLWEGER plays a rising corporate executive who unenthusiastically volunteers to travel to Ulm to oversee the transformation of a purchased processing plant. Unready for the cold weather or the folksy residents, she initially looks down on them and their town, but eventually changes her ways, including developing feelings toward Ted with whom she briefly fools around. She uses some profanity and ends up drunk in one scene after getting stuck in her car in a snow bank during a bad storm. HARRY CONNICK JR. plays the local union rep, a windowed dad who initially clashes with Lucy (personally and professionally), but then similarly develops feelings for her. He does some drinking, some fooling around with Lucy, and uses a little profanity. SIOBHAN FALLON HOGAN plays Lucy's personal assistant at the plant, a chatty Midwestern woman who comes off as folksy and initially a bit of an irritant to Lucy. J.K. SIMMONS plays the cranky and sarcastic plant foreman who bristles whenever he's in Lucy's company. He drinks and uses some profanity. FERRON GUERREIRO plays Ted's 13-year-old daughter who gets gussied up for a big dance thanks to Lucy's help. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this romantic comedy that's been rated PG. Profanity consists of at least 3 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered (and the "f" word is written with a letter and symbols). Some non-explicit but sexually related dialogue is present, as is some brief fooling around, while there's a comedy scene about being able to see the shape of a woman's nipples under her top due to the cold. A person is accidentally shot in the buttocks with a shotgun (not seen in full), and some brief slapstick style material is also present, as are various bits of potentially imitative behavior. Drinking occurs in various scenes (including that involving a drinking game), with one character ending up intoxicated while drinking trying to stay warm in her car that's stuck in a snow bank. Various comedy-based bad attitudes are present, and there's some crude humor. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Blanche's husband, Harvey, holds a beer while watching football on TV, and we see another on the table. Lucy arrives at Blanche's home, saying she wasn't sure whether to bring red or white (wine) for dinner, but that the store only had one kind (seen in a big jug). Blanche's husband, Harvey, jokes that anything he can uncap or unscrew he'll drink. Lucy then meets Ted who accidentally spits out some beer he's drinking (upon seeing Lucy) and she comments on him having some down his chin. Later, he has beer with dinner while the rest of the adults have wine. Ted comments about big cities and their skinny supermodels and Columbian drug lords. Lucy states that country music is about losers who drink beer. That prompts Ted to say he likes beer (among other things). Stu and others have beer in a bar where Lucy joins them to talk shop, but initially isn't aware that they're playing a drinking game based on what she says (and thus they take lots of quick swigs of their beers). Stu and others have beer while ice fishing. After ending up stuck in a snow bank in a snowstorm, Lucy ends up drinking wine straight from the bottle with her. When Ted eventually shows up and rescues her, she's literally falling down drunk (there, and she falls over the porch railing later into the snow). The next morning, she appears a bit hung-over. Lucy has wine by herself with a meal. Lucy and Ted have wine in front of them. Stu comments, "Oh, for crying in the beer cheese soup." Ted has beer with Blanche and her family with dinner, but we can't tell what the other adults are drinking. Ted and some friends have beer, while Stu downs a shot of liquor. BLOOD/GORE Blanche mentions having had to put their cat (with "kitty leukemia") to sleep, telling Lucy she should have seen the things the cat was "barfing" up on the couch. A person uses the comment, "We don't give a good goose fart." Lucy has to pee while out in the woods with Ted and Stu, and thus goes off with a roll of toilet paper, but can't get her overalls off. She calls for Ted to help and he tries, but also has problems with the zipper, so he eventually cuts a hole in the overalls near her bottom. He then leaves and she squats down, but falls over. We see some apparently blood-covered shotgun pellets being dropped into a pan in the ER after Ted was accidentally shot in the butt (not seen). Stu comments on something being "faster than thin sh*t through a tall Swede." DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Lucy initially looks down on the residents, but changes her attitude after some time with them. Some viewers might not like when Blanche asks Lucy if she's found Jesus, with Lucy replying she didn't know He was missing. Lucy and Ted initially clash and don't get along, but that changes as the story progresses. Lucy comments about having to "kiss the ass" of the local union rep, unaware that it's Ted, and then comments about him being a "sorry ass truck guy," unaware that he's within earshot. Flo the waitress has a bad attitude toward Lucy, sarcastically laughing at her for believing the locals celebrate Gopher Day (the plant workers said that to get the day off from work). Stu and others have beer in a bar where Lucy joins them to talk shop, but initially isn't aware that they're playing a drinking game based on what she says (and thus they take lots of quick swigs of their beers). FRIGHTENING SCENES During a snowstorm, Lucy swerves to avoid a cow in the middle of the rural road and drives off that and into a snow bank, ending up being stuck there (with no cell phone signal and not much likelihood that anyone will drive by). GUNS/WEAPONS Lucy jokes that she stayed with Ted to make sure he didn't get the shotgun out (regarding Bobbie having a date with a boy). Lucy and Ted carry shotguns to go crow hunting (she doesn't want to), and we then see him and Stu firing a few shots. Later, while squatting by herself to pee, Lucy accidentally drops the shotgun and it fires upon hitting the ground, shooting Ted in the butt (not seen, but we later see the removed pellets being dropped into a pan in the ER). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Sure as sh*t," "Faster than thin sh*t through a tall Swede," "No way," "Yes way," an incomplete "Holy mother..." "Have you found Jesus?" (followed by "I didn't know He was missing"), "Freezing the bejesus out of..." "Oh hell," "Any who," "Losers," "Totally awesome," "We don't give a good goose fart," "Sorry ass (truck guy)," "Kissing the ass of..." "You betcha," "You're damn right," "You greedy monkeys," "How lame ass do you have to be?" "Butt-stupid," "Ah, shingles," "You miserable son of a bitch," "Cutie-patootie," "Sexy isn't on the menu," "You look hot," "The hell she does," "Holy balls," "Oh, it's a great day," "Oh, for crying in the beer cheese soup," "Don't let the badgers bite you on the ass," "What the hell are you doing here?" "Ain't that a kick in the keister?" "God-dangit," "None of your business, you nosey old hoot owl," "Out on our asses," "Dumb son of a bitch," "Don't think I'm not pissed," "I'm pleased as punch" and "Too damn good." One of the residents lets out a loud, high-pitched sound while trying to imitate what tinnitus sounds like. Some kids may want to imitate the Minnesota accents in a playful or mocking way. Stu and others have beer in a bar where Lucy joins them to talk shop, but initially isn't aware that they're playing a drinking game based on what she says (and thus they take lots of quick swigs of their beers). Lucy drives out onto a frozen lake (after hearing it's safe to do so). Ted, Stu, Lucy and others get into something of a playful food fight with tapioca from a processing plant machine. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 3 "s" words, 11 asses (1 used with "hole"), 7 damns, 6 hells, 2 craps, 2 S.O.B.s and 1 use each of "God," "Oh God," "Oh my Lord" and "Oh my God." In scrapbook entries seen during the end credits, one has the "f" word written out as "f" with various symbols (about how cold it is). SEX/NUDITY From the cold, the shape of Lucy's nipples can be seen under her top, prompting Blanche to look somewhat uneasy and Blanche's husband, Harvey, to stare at her chest (and Ted to spit out some beer upon the sight). When Lucy goes into the bathroom and sees herself in the mirror, she realizes what caused such reactions and repeatedly pushes her hands on her clothed chest and breathes down the front of her top to try to make them soften. She then asks for her jacket and wears that through dinner (all played for comedy). Ted and Lucy argue about provocative female recording artists, with Lucy saying they're role models of powerful women, while Ted says they're selling themselves as sex objects. We see several views of Lucy in a tight, formfitting skirt. After ending up stuck in a snow bank in a snowstorm, Lucy puts some of her sexy lingerie up on the car antenna as a help flag. When Ted eventually finds and rescues her, he pulls her from the car, with his hands across her chest from behind, with her drunkenly telling him to watch the hands (but he has no sexual intent during this rescue). Some of the older women in town stare somewhat lecherously at Ted while he's bent over (clothed). About what his 13-year-old daughter is going to wear to a dance, Ted says that "sexy is not on the menu." Later, after Lucy helps give the teen a fashion makeover, her date arrives and proclaims that Bobbie is "hot." Ted states she isn't, tells the boy he was 14 once and thus knows what's going through his mind "...and your pants." He then reminds the boy that whatever he does to Bobbie, Ted will do to him. After the kids leave, the adults talk some, with Lucy then kissing him and then he does the same back to her. We then return to the scene later, when Bobbie returns and Lucy jumps up off Ted from the couch (our view is from behind that, so we don't really see anything) and he tucks in his shirt. We see miscellaneous cleavage. Lucy has to pee while out in the woods with Ted and Stu, and thus goes off with a roll of toilet paper, but can't get her overalls off. She calls for Ted to help and he tries, but also has problems with the zipper, so he eventually cuts a hole in the overalls near her bottom. He then jokingly asks if she's wearing a thong, and she replies he told her to wear something dirty, with him saying he told her to wear something that could get dirty. Lucy and Ted do some brief, clothed kissing while standing. When the older women try to get a younger one to be interested in an unseen guy, the young woman complains that with his lazy eye, she can't tell if he's looking at her or her breast. One of the older women then replies he's probably doing both. In scrapbook entries seen during the end credits, one has a photo of Lucy and Ted with the caption "Get a room." SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Ted's wife has been dead for six years from a degenerative heart condition that resulted in many trips to the Mayo Clinic. We hear that Flo the waitress is Stu's ex-wife and that he now rents the basement from her in their old house. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The downsizing of corporate America in terms of workers being laid off, especially in blue collar jobs. Blanche mentions having had to put their cat (with "kitty leukemia") to sleep, telling Lucy she should have seen the things the cat was "barfing" up on the couch. Ted and Lucy argue about provocative female recording artists, with Lucy saying they're role models of powerful women, while Ted says they're selling themselves as sex objects. We hear that Ted's wife has been dead for six years from a degenerative heart condition that resulted in many trips to the Mayo Clinic. VIOLENCE A drunken Lucy has her head on Ted's leg as he drives, and when she suddenly sits upright, she hits her head on the steering wheel. Moments later, she drunkenly falls backward over the front porch railing and disappears from sight (we don't see the impact, but she's okay, all played for comedy). Lucy and Ted carry shotguns to go crow hunting (she doesn't want to), and we then see him and Stu firing a few shots. Later, while squatting by herself to pee, Lucy accidentally drops the shotgun and it fires upon hitting the ground, shooting Ted in the butt (not seen, but we later see the removed pellets being dropped into a pan in the ER). All of that is played for comedy. From good but unexpected news, Blanche faints and falls backwards (we don't see the impact). Reviewed January 27, 2009 / Posted January 30, 2009

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.