New In Town

This light, forgettable rom-com blends the ''stranger in a strange land'' scenario with the ''outsider locals win over'' story.

It has been done on television (Men in Trees, Northern Exposure) and in films (Local Hero, Spotswood). Renee Zellweger plays Lucy, an ambitiousnte corporate executive who leaves warm Miami for a remote Minnesota town in winter to restructure a factory there, which will entail sacking half the workforce.

The locals could have been extras in Fargo, and are down-to-earth, folksy and caring, which eventually bridges Lucy's defences.

Sparks fly between Lucy, often in heels and tight skirts, and scruffy union representative and widower Ted (Harry Connick Jr), but there is not much spark in their developing romance.

The humdrum story is strictly by the numbers, with a series of twists crammed into the last few minutes for no  reason. New in Town does touch on a topical subject - people losing jobs - but it is more feel-good fantasy  than any appreciation, except for a few platitudes, of such a plight's reality.

Reviewed by David Manning, DVDs for review supplied by United Video, Nelson.

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