B knew I had a raging headache today, so he brought home a movie to watch after the girls went to bed. I've been bugging him to rent "New in Town" since it came out on video, and he's been less than enthused, but he made the sacrifice and rented it for us. I've been excited to see it as it's set in a town I used to visit often as a child with my grandma, and as a Minnesoootan, I love to watch movies set in my home state."New in Town" follows a Miami executive (Renee Zellweger) sent to a New Ulm, Minnesota factory to downsize the workforce and increase productivity and profit. While there, she battles equipment delays, freezing temps, culture shock, distrustful workers, and the gruff union rep (Harry Connick, Jr). Against her will, she is dragged to local festivities and enthusiastically befriended by her scrapbooking, tapioca-baking secretary.
We just finished watching it, and I have to admit, I'm left with the warm fuzzies. Some Minnesotans may be offended by the obvious stereotyping of local culture, but B and I found it humorous and were able to laugh at ourselves as seen through the eyes of "outsiders". Our quirks were definitely magnified, but we could recognize the underlying truths there, and enjoy glimpses of life growning up in rural Minnesota. The movie had multiple laugh-out-loud moments, a heart-warming (if somewhat corny) message, and very little foul language/sensuality/etc...earning my hearty recommendation, and amazingly, my husband's as well! While it may not prompt the rest of the world to want to vacation here, I think everyone longs for the kind of connection and community portrayed, and made me proud to say that yes, I am a Minnesotan, I do have an accent, a trip to Walmart is like a family or high school reunion, and I am surrounded by people who care about each other and our town. Head out to your local Red Box today, but before you go, google Red Box codes to get your rental for free like we did!
