Story
A small manufacturing plant in New Ulm, Minnesota, is having financial difficulties. The parent company sends one of their top executives, Lucy Hill (Renee Zellweger), to sort out the problems. Arriving fresh from Miami in a smart suit and stilettos, Lucy is immediately confronted with snow, icy roads and a hostile reception from the employees. Adding to her problems is a ‘small-town’ attitude, particularly to female bosses.
Lucy straightaway gets offside with union representative, Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick Jr) and plant manager Stu (JK Simmons). When Ted rescues Lucy from a car crash that leaves her stranded in the snow, her feelings for him start to change. The locals start to accept Lucy when she refuses to close the plant down as ordered by head office. Instead, she starts on a profitable new venture.
Themes
Problems faced by women in executive positions
Violence
There is some violence and accidental harm in this movie, mainly used for comic effect. For example:
- Lucy crashes her car in the snow.
- Lucy falls over the balcony when drunk.
- Lucy accidentally shoots Ted in the backside while crow shooting.
Content that may disturb children
Under 8
Apart from the violent scenes mentioned above, there is nothing in this film that is likely to disturb children in this age group.
Over 8
Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this movie.
Sexual references
There are some sexual references in this movie. For example:
- Characters mention women selling themselves as sex symbols.
- Ted tells Lucy to wear something dirty (to go crow shooting), so she wears a g-string under her clothes. Ted has to help her out of her overalls and notices the g-string.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some use of substances in this movie. For example, characters drink alcohol at home, in pubs and in the car.
Nudity and sexual activity
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie. For example:
- Characters kiss.
- Lucy’s nipples show through her top because she is very cold.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in this movie: Lays crisps.
Coarse language
There is some mild coarse language in this movie.
Ideas to discuss with your children
New in Town is a romantic comedy written to a formula. It is full of stereotypes, but will appeal to teens for its laughs.
The main message from this movie is that people are more important than profits. Values in this movie that you might wish to reinforce with your children include neighbourliness, friendliness and kindness.
This movie could also give you the opportunity to discuss with your children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences. For example, you could talk about:
- the way the film ridicules a woman executive
- the issue of whether women still need to be rescued by male heroes
- the question of whether a woman would fall in love with the first good-looking man who comes on the scene, even though she and he might be ideologically and politically opposite to each other.