New in Town

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New in Town is a 2009 romantic comedy-drama directed by Jonas Elmer. It stars Renée Zellweger as Lucy Hill, a glamorous Miami businesswoman who is sent to a small Minnesota town to downsize a factory. There she clashes with the locals and faces tough weather and culture shock, but she gradually grows to like the town and its people.

Lucy ends up forming a romance with Ted Mitchell, played by Harry Connick Jr., while dealing with the plant’s head of the union and other colorful locals. When a corporate order threatens to shut the plant, Lucy comes up with a plan to save the town: turn the yogurt production line into a tapioca pudding business. The idea works, and a group of financiers buys the plant with a deal that transfers ownership to the employees, with Lucy becoming CEO. The movie ends with Lucy and Ted sharing a kiss.

Filmed in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, as well as Los Angeles and South Beach, Miami, New in Town had a budget of about $8 million and earned around $29 million worldwide.

Box office and reception:
- Domestic gross: about $16.7 million; international: about $12.3 million.
- Rotten Tomatoes: about 28% positive from 171 critics.
- Metacritic: score of 29 out of 100, indicating generally unfavorable reviews.
- Critics called it clichéd and light on charm, though some described the premise as cute and the performances by the cast as appealing.

Production notes mention that filming in cold Manitoba conditions was challenging for the crew and equipment.