“New in Town” isn’t the greatest romantic comedy to hit the big screen, but the rural Minnesota setting for much of the action does add interest for those of us in the Upper Midwest.

Lucy Hill travels from sunny Miami to New Ulm on assignment for a big food processing giant. To make way for a more machine-oriented factory, Lucy must downsize the workers at the plant.

Arriving in high-heels, this top executive has no idea what she’s in for. Walking out the airport door without a coat on in mid-winter marks the beginning of many new changes.

At the first family meal, she ends up putting her foot in her mouth. Asking Ted Mitchell, the local union representative (Harry Connick Jr.) why on earth he moved from a warm climate to a place like New Ulm isn’t the best first impression.

Frigid temperatures aren’t the only things she must adjust too. The first day in the office, she learns that personal connections run deeper in New Ulm than in Miami. She sees the small town life as utterly ridiculous. All the family dinners, scrapbook parties and gift exchanging are quaint and mysterious to her.

While watching her hilarious secretary, Blanche Gunderson (Siobhan Fallon) peek into her office to make sure everything is OK, one can’t help but shake your head smiling. Fallon does a wonderful job of balancing the hysterics and sensibility of Blanche. All of her okey dokeys and charm make her irresistible to love.

Lucy’s initial negative attitude creates a rift between her and the townspeople. Unlike the plant foreman who tricks her into closing the plant for “Gopher Day,” a holiday that doesn’t exist, Ted has a more forgiving nature. He finds it in his heart to rescue her after she swerves into a snowdrift to avoid colliding with a cow.

After finding some common ground, Ted and Lucy go on a crow-hunting trip. Wearing overalls isn’t the easiest outfit to wear when it’s time for a bathroom break in the woods. Let’s just say, Ted ends up lending a little more help than she anticipated.

Word gets around about Lucy shooting Ted in the rear end, and the following morning, targets are plastered on the factory worker’s rear ends. This form of teasing may seem a bit goofy, but it’s their way of accepting Lucy. 

Taking a look inside the small town life is rather comical. Sure the accents bring about lots of laughter, but did the film go overboard? Yes, it paints a stereotypical picture of Minnesotans; not all Minnesotans end their sentences with donchaknows. Also, getting excited over the lake being frozen enough to drive on is a little bit over-the-top.

Because Zellweger didn’t fully commit to her role as Lucy, this film didn’t reach its full potential. Maybe she really did have passion for the role, but her shift from cold executive to caring friend is difficult to believe.

Since “New in Town” is PG rated, it’s free of sex scenes and vulgar language. And even though Zellweger doesn’t live up to the hype, the film is worth watching at least once. The Minnesotan accents are exaggerated, but will guarantee a laugh here and there.

Rachel Rietsema is a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She hails from Hollandale.