This is a stretch, but imagine Hugh Grant as a guy who has alienated the love of his life through one ill-advised, guilt-ridden one-night stand.

That’s his situation in “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”

It’s a terrible title. But the movie is a lot of fun, part of which is watching Grant squirm as he explains that infidelity to his wronged wife. You have to think that, as an actor, he is drawing on his own life experience.

“Did You Hear About the Morgans?” is a new treatment of an old story. A couple who are not getting along are taken out of their usual environment to a place where they can get back to basics, reconnect and discover what is really important.

As the movie begins, they’re in New York City, with dazzling, demanding jobs. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Meryl Morgan, a rich real es- tate executive with her picture on the cover of New York magazine. Hugh Grant is her husband, Paul, who is—need you ask? — a lawyer.

Paul is trying to win Meryl back, and she is resisting. God knows how—because Grant is irresistible —but she is.

Suddenly they witness a murder, and a bad guy is out to get them. They are whisked off, courtesy of the Witness Protection Program, to Ray, Wyo., to live with the town marshal and his wife.

There’s humor on both sides as, to many a music montage, the New York liberals confront redneck behavior.

“I’m a member of PETA,” Meryl huffs. “That’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.”

To which she gets the reply: “I am, too. Only it’s People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.” (I can give this one-liner away because it’s not original. I’ve heard it on the radio.)

Gradually, though, they begin acclimating. It’s a kick to see them tackling Republican skills like firing a gun, chopping wood, repelling bears, riding a horse, and shopping at a thinly disguised Walmart. You know this knowledge will come in handy somehow when the bad guy appears.

Mary Steenburgen, with her prissy voice, plays the marshal’s gun-loving wife with humor, but also with dignity. She overhears Meryl’s murmur, “Oh my God, it’s Sarah Palin,” and replies with a level “The name’s Emma Wheeler.”

No one, not even the bad guy (Michael Kelly), gets annoying. There is no bad language. There is a giggly medical receptionist/ waitress/rodeo rider/assistant fire chief played by Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009. Come on, whom did you expect? This is supposed to be a redneck movie. Wilford Brimley, the portly character actor, is a diner owner who holds the Morgans at arm’s length.

I laughed out loud, frequently. Some of the jokes are Woody Allen-ish, New York humor. As Meryl fusses with the gun before firing at the target, Paul sighs to the marshal, “This is nothing. You should see her ordering dinner.”

A few situations made me think of Jerry Lewis, and that’s high praise. The little marshal assigned briefly to guard Paul is priceless, even though he’s on screen for only five minutes. The Morgans’ twentysomething assistants, played by Elisabeth Moss and Jesse Leibman, are entertaining little operators.

The world’s foremost bear actor, Bart the Bear, steals the show. A big brown Kodiak with a massive rear, he commands attention each time he lumbers into view.

For all the movie’s outdoorsy, God-fearing, Sarah Palin themes, liberal Democrats don’t have to worry. The Morgans never get a change of heart for anything but each other. That leads me to the film’s one flaw (besides all those music montages). We’re told there’s something cute and homey about these country folks. But they stay on the cartoonish side. The Morgans — and the filmmakers— never quite lose their mocking attitude toward them.

They better watch out, or Bart the Bear will teach them a lesson.

“Did You Hear About the Morgans?”

Three stars (Out of four)

Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant and Mary Steenburgen star in the story of an estranged New York couple relocated to small-town Wyoming, where they reconnect despite themselves. Rated PG-13, opening Friday in area theaters.