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The wintry New Ulm, Minnesota is the setting of the film "New in Town." But this supposed warm romantic comedy left me cold like its arctic backdrop.

Renee Zelwegger stars as Lucy Hill, an ambitious female executive based in Miami. She's trying desperately to climb the corporate ladder so when the opportunity arrives for her to ascend, she gladly takes it.

But that opportunity will make Lucy move from the warm Miami to the blistery cold New Ulm. What's a tropical girl to do?

Written by Kenneth Rance and C. Jay Cox, the script is so steeped with Minnesota
clichs that I felt bad for its inhabitants.
All the residents talk like Frances McDormand's character, Marge Gunderson, in "Fargo."

Incidentally, Lucy's assistant in the film is named Blanche Gunderson (Siobhan Fallon Hogan). Is this the filmmakers' homage to the far better "Fargo?"

In New Ulm, Lucy must learn to work with the employees of her company, Munck Foods. There's the foreman Stu Kopenhafer
(the underused J.K. Simmons) and the union representative Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick Jr.).

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict that Lucy will fall in love with Ted, the town, and the residents. But the journey from the start to the end of the film is not without its merits.

I adore Zelwegger as an actress. Her charisma and comedic timing shine through most parts of "New in Town." My two favorite funny scenes with her involve some tricky incidents about genitalia that they would have been hard to pull off with a lesser actress.

The subplot about the future of Munck employes is also the highlight of the film. When the whole community gathers together, the movie acquires its much needed spark.

Directed by Danish-born Jonas Elmer, "New in Town" is very uneven. The first part of the film is awkward and feels pushed, while the middle gathers steam and as a viewer, you'll see a flicker of hope. But then comes the crushing blow in the end where the filmmakers apparently rushed the last 20 minutes just to get us out of the theaters.

It's a shame because the film has commendable supporting actors such as Simmons, Hogan, and Connick Jr.
But for a movie being marketed as a romantic comedy, you'll get more attached to the survival stories of the New Ulm residents than the humdrum romance between Lucy and Ted.

For a romantic film to work the leads must have chemistry, otherwise there's no romance. Honestly, I didn't, for a second, buy the relationship of Lucy and Ted.

I did buy Lucy's relationship with the town folks and her friendship with Blanche. Hogan embodies her character so well that she effortlessly blends in with the town and its eccentricities.

And the movie has an odd way of making you appreciate the colder New Ulm than sunny Miami. Was I won over by the community's warmhearted spirit? You betcha! And for that, "New in Town" gets 2 old story kisses

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