Hot vs. cold, beach vs. snow, palm trees vs. ice, high heels vs. boots, and Miami vs. Minnesota . . . what do you think is going to win? Among the many themes in this movie is the one that shows how the simple life in a small simple town can have just as much charm and satisfaction as big city life. The small town is New Ulm, Minnesota and the people there are great. These simple people in this simple town are genuine, straightforward, and hospitable. Their accent is quite entertaining too. I love accents. Some of my favorites are Jamaican, British, Australian, and the New York accent. This northern Mid-West accent is gaining positions in my ranks. I haven’t heard such fantastic use of this accent since Fargo. Frances McDormand really stood out in that movie, both the accent and her performance. She did win an Oscar for that role. Her counterpart in this picture is Siobhan Fallon who plays Blanche, the “secretary”. Not that she’s going to win an Oscar for her performance, even though it was good, but she does steal almost every scene she’s in with her comedic performance and that enjoyable accent. The transfer from Miami to New Ulm is done by Lucy Hill, played by Renee Zellweger. Lucy is one of the Miami based company execs and she gets assigned to go to New Ulm to check up on them and “clean up” the place. Renee looked as sharp as ever; I would even say that she has never looked this good, her squinty eyes smile and all. Her wardrobe really made the effect; very Miami. Probably the funniest aspect of this film is that extreme transition. Being from Miami myself, I can relate. But even though she looked real sharp, her performance was not so much. She does have a flare for comedy, but in this movie she is borderline boring. What saves her is the summation of the rest of the cast and the situations that come up via the story. Harry Connick Jr. plays Ted Mitchell, the workers union rep and all around do-it-all guy in New Ulm. He does a decent job with his performance and he shows Lucy why it is worthwhile to live in Minnesota. I’m a big fan of J.K. Simmons. He can do no wrong and he really livens up his characters from J. Jonah Jameson in Spiderman to Juno’s father. Here he plays a more stoutly Stu Kopenhafer, plant manager. He also brings a good use of the accent along with his sharp, sarcastic wit.
This is a cute, feel-good romantic comedy that touches on relatively current issues in corporate America. So not only is it funny and romantic, it quietly delivers a message about the blue collar worker and how they are taken for granted and manipulated like numbers on a piece of paper when in reality they are human beings with homes and families to support just like the rest of us. And yet it can be the simplest of things that can turn out to be the biggest of factors in your survival . . . like a screwdriver, a match, or even tapioca. The settings used throughout the picture were so appropriate and realistic; it helped with the effect of the extremities of this story. From the beachfront high-rise condos and the jogs along the beach to the cozy homes, time-trapped offices and factories, iced lakes, and snow piled highway shoulders, both extremes are well represented. Director Jonas Elmer who was born in Denmark has done most of his work there. Considering his limited exposure to the States, he did a pretty good job with this film. Yes it is another typical chick flick, but it’s not bad. It’s actually a little better than I expected.
Movie Review By Cine Marcos
