The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com h Friday, February 6, 2009 - 5 Personality pickle "I can get cash for my gold? No way" 'Average U 'New in Town' is a film. Neither recommendable nor regrettable, "New in Town" is like girl-in-the-suburbs comfort food. It's that box of oat- meal cream pies co which you keep movie that's funny comingback. Anywho, take note of the adher- but forgettable ence to formula: The woman is Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a Miami food com- By BLAKE GOBLE pany executive. The rural area is Daily Arts Writer New Ulm, Minnesota. And the guy is - - - Ted (Harry Connick Jr., "P.S. I Love The big-city-lady-migrates- You"), the local union representative to-the-suburbs at odds with Lucy. The rest is totally movie is easy to by-the-book. There are mo*ntages pick on. The for- of Lucy adapting and fights that end mula goes some- New in in kissing. And ultimately, Lucy has thing like this: to decide whether or not to stay in An A-list female TOWn Minnesotaorgobackto Miami. Like lead finds herself anyone doesn't see it coming. stuck in rural at Quality But with "New in Town," the land only to real- Showcase amusement certainly isn't derived ize that small Lions Gate from the story. This narrative has town life and been seen a hundred times. This frumpy, difficult dudes can bring movie has easy jokes at the expense her happiness. This scenario, which of "Minnesota nice." It has side seems to compromise progressive characters who outperform Zell- feminist ideals, is best exemplified weger at every turn, and the always in "Baby Boom," "Raising Helen" amusing prospect of culture clash- and "Sweet Home Alabama." And ing is present. A prissy woman in "New in Town" is the latest entry in winter? Hilarious! But seriously, an all-too-easy genre. it's like Minnesotans aren't a little But that's not to say that all those strange and funny. Ever listen to flicks are lousy. They're just ... pre- Garrison Keillor? dictable. And that's not a terrible Specifically, Siobhan Fallon thing. "New in Town," a vehicle for ("Baby Mama") and J.K. Simmons Renee Zellweger ("Leatherheads"), ("Juno") steal the - show. Fallon is vet another fish-ont-of-wnter Dlos Blanche. cv's evrsna k- ing, Jesus-loving, tapioca slamming secretary: Her naivet6 is matched only by her kindness. She's preachy, yes, but at least she's a good lady. Her scrapbook parties and "doncha know" speak are funny. And Simmons, this decade's most reliable second banana, plays the plant foreman Stu, the requisite Minnesotan man. Every scene he's in, he out-acts Zellweger in every .way. Just look for his screaming match in his ex-wife's basement, where every not-quite-blue swear comes to "gee-golly-gee" frui- tion. Simmons make Minnesotans almost amusing again. "New in Town" is the kind of simple amusement that can be found indoors on a winter's Sunday morning. Or it's a great date movie that can be both derided or enjoyed, depending on perspective. "New in Town" is totally junk food, but there's no shame in liking it. It's just not the best junkxfood out there. There's a give and take with this film. At times, yelling at Lucy for being so predictably stuffy seems fair. Other times, the film's "Fargo"- speak is cute. "New in Town" is a decent movie, plain and simple. There's no reason to like it, but it's enjoyable anyway. It's not recom- mendable, but it isn't waste of time either.Besides; it's warmer than ice' snilin oneLke Wnhoeonn By TRINA MANNINO Daily Arts Writer Showtime can now add a manic mom with crazy alter egos to its list of color- ful characters, which already includes sex addicts, socio- paths and call States of girls. "United States of Tara" follows Tara Sundays Gregson (Toni at10p.m. Collette, "Little Showtime Miss Sunshine") who appears to be like any other suburban mom balancing her familial duties and professional life. But she has a secret - three, actually. Rather than threatening to take away her kids' PlayStation or chas- ing them around the house with a wooden spoon, when Tara's kids act out of line, one of her three alter egos comes out to cope with the situation. Tara has multiple personality disorder - the politi- cally correct term is Dissociative Identity Disorder - and at any stressful moment a promiscu- ous teenager called T, a Marlboro Red-smoking truck driver known as Buck or a stereotypical Susie- homemaker named Alice emerges to wreak havoc on the family. What sets "United States of Tara" apart from other family- centered shows is the Gregsons' unconventional lifestyle. In the first episode, Tara is revealed to have lived with the disorder her entire life, and her family talks openly about it. When Tara unex- pectedly transforms into her Buck persona before her daughter's - or his daughter's - dance recital, ARTS IN BRIEF Film Review An uninviting flop "The Uninvited" DreamWorks/Paramount At Showcase and Quality 16 If the collective reaction of moviegoers holds any bearing in determining the quality of a film, then the exasperated sigh heard throughout the theater at the clos- ing of "The Uninvited" speaks vol- umes. This half-witted attempt at a psychological thriller is based MamAttack!: The next big girlgroup. there's no question that Tara in Buck form must attend the perfor- mance, regardless of his unrefined manner and roving eye for jailbait. Obviously, living with a person whose personality can turn 180 degrees at any moment is frustrat- ing, and predictably, Tara's family struggles with her illness. Despite Tara's shortcomings, the Gregsons realize each one of her alter egos brings out a special quality in her. Buck teaches her son, Marshall Not your usual crazy mom. (Keir Gilchrist, "The Winner"), to bowl a strike and T helps her, daughter, Kate (Brie Larson, "Slee- pover"), cope with the pressures of school and boyfriend troubles. "United States of Tara" offers a positive message about family life and demonstrates that fami- lies should stick together through thick and thin. It just has a very unique way of conveying that stan- dard message. "United States of Tara" has yet to distinguish itself from other upon a 2003 Korean horror flick titled "A Tale of Two Sisters." The movie's plot focuses on the main character Anna (Emily Browning, "Darkness Falls"), heraiter and confidante Alex (Arielle Kebbel, "Be Cool"):and their haunting (and oftentimes metaphysical) relation- ghip-with their stepmother Rachael (Elizabeth Banks, "W."). overwroughtthematicmaterial, poor acting and an unconvincing narrative mar whatever potential value this film might have had. By the story's end, the film seems to be desperately trying to reconcile the holes and inconsistencies in its Showtime shows and prove that it has staying power. The cable channel is known to explore the lives of unconventional fam- ily units - the Fisher family who owned a funeral home in "Six Feet Under" and the pot-dealing Botwin clan of "Weeds" are far cries from normal. But "United States of Tara" now has to face the challenge of maintaining its offbeat concept while not going off the deep end and alienating its audience - a challenge that both "Weeds" and "Six Feet Under" struggled with as they progressed into later seasons. Though it's too early to deter- mine if "United States of Tara" is a work of television genius, the initial showing's approach is dif- ferent from virtually any other family-centered show on televi- sion. With the help of a winning trifecta - executive producer Ste- ven Spielberg, writer Diablo Cody ("Juno") and lead actress Toni Collette - the show looks likes it could be a success. "United States of Tara" can't rely too much on its prestigious creative team and lead actors,however, because its success hinges upon its actual execution - something that, for this show, will be three times as difficult. plot rather than offer its viewer a unique and engaging experience. The unintentionally humorous plot twist, which is oddly reminiscent of "Fight Ciub," could inciteovew- ers to scan the production credits for the name M. Night Shyamalan. It's worth noting that the movie contains sufficient- scares and thrills to satisfy the most gracious enthusiasts of generic thrillers. But those expecting a film with cerebral acting roles and a well- written script may very well be demanding a refund before the movie's conclusion. 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