New in Town
Metascore
29 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 32
  3. Negative: 21 out of 32
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User Reviews

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User Score
4.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 4 out of 9
  1. hughie
    7
    Not great, but much more entertaining than the bulk of these reviews would lead you to believe.
  2. ChadS.
    4
    No worldly sophisticate by any stretch of the imagination, Marge Gunderson(Frances McDormand) displayed all the tell-tale signs of living in a small-town, but she was smart, on her own terms, funny voice notwithstanding. The Brainerd detective is the sort of character that's sorely missing in "New in Town", a person who could put the city girl in her place. The waitress tries. At the diner, the waitress ridicules Lucy(Renee Zellweger) for believing that the town of New Ulm celebrates a holiday which pays homage to the gopher. But really, the joke is on the old woman and the diner patrons, because that's the extent of the insularity Lucy surmises these rural folks embody. This company henchwoman makes the Bill Murray character in Harold Ramis' "Groundhog Day" seem congenial. At some point, however, Lucy's condesension will come to a halt, and "voila", the people she despises suddenly becomes the people she cherishes. But the manner in which Lucy goes about her transformation seems even more unearned than what is usually part and parcel of the rom-com formula. She simply gets into a car accident and emerges from the accident, a changed woman. This near-death experience negates the occasion for these Minnesota denizens to prove their mettle as Lucy's equals, and truly earn her respect. Instead of feeling contempt for these "lowly" people, now she pities them. Now she has to save them; her dear, dear underlings. Thanks to an undiagnosed concussion, this professional woman, on the fast track to VP stewardship, can now enjoy the simple things in life, like put on a scarf and join the carollers, as they all hold candles in open-mouthed earnestness around a lighted Christmas tree. For "New in Town" to transcend its initial patronizing attitude towards country life, Blanche Gunderson(Sibohan Fallon) needed to launch her "Tapioca Pudding Boom" without Lucy's marketing know-how. As for Ted(Harry Connick Jr.), he has the steering wheel column to thank for his good fortune.… Full Review »
  3. smijatov
    3
    The first and biggest problem this film has is the fact that it is a romantic comedy. Being one, it does not deviate from the typical rom-com recipe, what-so-ever. Being rather predictable (and by rather I mean completely to an annoying degree), the film does not offer anything new to the audience. The screenplay is simply bad, with a storyline that was maybe innovative back in the 1980s, but now has become the standardised cliche. One the film manages well is to create a positive relationship between the audience and the Minnesotans in the film. Some very cute scenes are in the film, and one cannot but feel warmly towards them, especially Siobhan Fallon's character, who is, by far, the best thing in this bad film. Renee Zellweger is rather bad - her strongest asset here seems to be her body, and it's in a film where that shouldn't be an issue. But yes, Zellweger doesn't give anything good to the film, and one can only wonder why she ever got cast. Maybe trying to re-connect to her Bridget Jones' days? Be it as it may, the film is rather bad and annoying, full of cliches concerning both rom-coms and Minnesota, and with generally pretty bad dialogue and acting, makes "New in Town" be one of those films you could have easily gone without ever watching.… Full Review »
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