New in Town is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Jonas Ulmer. starring Renée Zellweger.
Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is a businesswoman sent from the corporate office in Miami to oversee changes in a factory in Minnesota, where she's also supposed to lay off half the staff. She quickly alienates the locals, particularly the union rep, Ted (Harry Connick Jr.), with whom she will inevitably fall in love by the end.
Has nothing to do with John Mulaney. J. K. Simmons plays Stu, the irascible foreman at the plant.
This movie contains examples of:
- Curse Cut Short: There's a scene where Lucy is clearly about to curse when some doors close behind her, muffling out all sound. However, her tantrum is still seen through the glass.
- Chekhov's Gun: Blanche's tapioca that she won't stop babbling about. Lucy tastes it and likes it so much that she starts a whole new business, making the plant a tapioca factory.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Lucy loses her hard-shell exterior and becomes nice after the people of the town charm her and she falls in love with Ted.
- Fish out of Water: Lucy the hard-charging executive from Miami does not fit in well with the simple townsfolk of rural Minnesota.
- Inadvertent Entrance Cue: The ladies are talking about the upcoming Valentine's Day, which Lucy is determined to blow off since she doesn't have a boyfriend. The doorbell rings and Blanche says "Maybe that's Cupid lookin' out for ya." It's Ted, of course.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: Lucy is driving to the airport, overjoyed to be leaving the frozen wastes of Minnesota and returning to Miami, as "Walking on Sunshine" plays triumphantly on the soundtrack. She makes it inside, and looks at the flight schedule display—and all the flights are getting cancelled. The music slows and then comes to a discordant halt.
- Meet Cute: Of the "instant dislike" variety. Lucy and Ted first meet at dinner with Blanche and instantly get into a violent argument that ends up with both of them stalking out in a rage.
- Minnesota Nice: Of the "irritated by constant politeness" variety, with Miami business executive Lucy being assigned to Minnesota to close down the local food processing plant. Of course, the constant niceness of the people there (Blanche being the main example) ends up softening her by the film's end.
- Shot in the Ass: Ted gets shot in the rear when a gun goes off by accident while they are hunting crows.
- Shout-Out: Blanche's last name is "Gunderson", like that of a certain other spunky Minnesotan movie lady.
