Something New

SOMETHING NEW is one of those films that many will pass by thinking it is just another Chick Flick with a twist. Well, this little movie may be a romantic comedy but it is well written (Kriss Turner), well directed (Sanaa Hamri), and very well acted and has some down to earth important observations about interpersonal relationships...and, oh yes, it deal with interracial issues, beautifully! Kenya (Sanaa Lathan - Best Man, Blade, The Wood, etc) is a beautiful Type A personality, an overachiever who is up for Partner in her Accounting Firm: she has no time to search for IMB (Important Black Man) as her list of qualifications is far too extensive. Her fellow professional girlfriends (Wendy Raquel Robinson, Golden Brooks and Taraji P. Henson - all superb!) encourage her to date to 'go with the flow' and a fellow business associate sets her up with a blind date - the very handsome, hunky, landscape architect Brian Kelly (Simon Baker - superb actor from Tasmania, Australia has starred in LA Confidential, Book of Love, The Ring Two, The Affair of the Necklace etc) - and despite the fact that Kenya refuses to consider dating any man who is not black, she does accept Brian's card and in no time hires him to landscape her new home.

The usual dating events occur: Simon is an educated, laid-back, tender, thoughtful, adventuresome male who happens to fall in love with the closely guarded Kenya; when introduced at parties Simon falls victim to prejudice form black men AND form Kenya's parents; Kenya gradually succumbs to Brian's charms and despite all misgivings they begin an affair. But peer pressures, work demands, and Kenya's self doubt jumble matters and she decides she must search for a black man. One 'just happens' to appear as Mark (Blair Underwood) and for a moment Kenya believes she has found her ideal - until her heart speaks up and she for the first time is honest with her emotions and follows her true heart's desire.

The apparent disparity between Kenya and Brian is handled in a sensitive and realistic way and Lathan and Baker have a sizzling screen chemistry. The supporting roles are in excellent hands: in addition to those mentioned above there are fine roles by Alfre Woodward, Earl Billings, Donald Faison, Mike Epps etc. This is a fine little film that approaches the touchy subject of black professional women who are unmarried ('42.4 Percent' was the working title) and for once shows an interracial film that is more a sound love story than a sermon. It is light, airy, important, and thoroughly entertaining! (This coming from a viewer who doesn't particularly care for Chick Flicks....!). Grady Harp

For about five years or better yet since I've been married, I have banned all modern day romantic comedies from my precious eyesight. Why you say? Because nine times out of ten they featured awkward pairings of big-name stars who had as much chemistry as a week old can of generic pop that was left in the refrigerator open, the plots were so insultingly predictable that you just wanted to take out a bull horn in Hollywood and yell to screenwriters and movie studios everywhere: "STOP INSULTING US BY RELYING ON YOUR FORMULAS TO MAKE YOUR MOVIES." Honestly, if I see one more chase scene to the airport to stop some chick from moving away, I'm going to blow something up, and finally romantic comedies were just plain unrealistic. I mean honestly, how many of us can believe that Jennifer Lopez, Diane Lane, and Julia Roberts are dateless. And how many women are really knocking down John Cusak's door to get a date? However, alas comes a true romantic comedy with depth, conviction, and heart. And while it did use a few formulas it did not depend on them. "Something New" features very real people, real responses, real dialogue, and most importantly real issues. I champion this movie for being groundbreaking and discussing things that no other (or few) mainstream film had the balls to tackle such as "The Black Tax," the true difference between racism and reverse racism, and Black hair culture to name a few. Don't get me wrong, THIS MOVIE IS NOT A BLACK MOVIE. It is definitely romantic and comedic at its very heart and it is something that can be appreciated by all. But I felt so much better about seeing this film when I realized that it took the time to think and bring some things to the forefront. I hate the fact that this movie was not marketed properly. What a misstep. This movie was for all because we have all had to grapple with pressures from our family, our careers, friends, and culture at one point or another and realize that being true to yourself is all that matters. Oh and by the way, the chemistry between Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker is phenomenal! I haven't seen chemistry like that in a long, long time. The movie is worth the trip just to see that.

First off, this movie is NOT about a shortage of black men. In fact, there are plenty of black men in this movie: husbands, brothers, boyfriends, guys at Starbucks, club-goers. It just so happens that the main character Kenya, a black woman, falls in love with a white man. What's the big freakin deal?!?! To repeat, this movie is not about a shortage of black men; it never claims to be. It's a love story and one that is complicated by race. I thought the issues they had to deal with as a couple were very real, particularly Kenya's issues with her job.

I can totally relate to the Kenya character and I can easily think of 10 other black women who probably can too. This film was refreshing; it was so nice to see a smart, successful black woman as the main character of a movie. GO SEE IT!

I just watched "Something New" on DVD, and was quite pleasantly surprised. I was expecting to see the same old rehash of a spent subject. But, this movie and its fabulous script was very real and some of the experiences depicted, on point. I am a black woman married to a white man, and while neither my family or his ever had problems with our relationship, society wasn't buying it. But, it's really amazing how much color fades to the back as love moves to the fore. We enjoy watching these kinds of things together and with our sons (now adults and married too) because it; (one) reminds us how beneficial it is to listen to your heart and not to people who aren't in it, and (two) how others can come to appreciate your relationship if they're given time to adjust. The only thing I wish they'd shown was more of Bryan's family/friends or his neighborhood and how they would react to such a relationship. They only showed a brief glimpse of Bryan's father and we wished they'd explored that side a little better. But all and all it was totally worth the time.

As a white, 60 year old retiree, I am a bit uncomfortable relating why I liked this movie so much, as I will probable say some politically incorrect things. But I enjoyed this movie for its thought provoking storytelling, so here are my thoughts.

I would think the Black Community (as I have heard Bill Cosby expounded many times) would love to see more stories about successful, professional people. The main character, and her girlfriend circle, seemed well grounded in their successful careers, but suffered real conflicted issues over their personal lives, the quest to find the "Ideal black Male" utmost on their minds. Fair enough! But, up pops an "Ideal White Male" and it is not easy to adapt their thinking. Their blind date meeting, the slow warming up, the problems that couples run into, were not earth breaking Romantic "comedy" ground. But the assimilation of a likable, white guy into the Black "experience" has some real impact. I felt the conversations rang true. Slow acceptance by her

friends seemed real. I was educated to the concept of the "Black tax" and the difficulty of "never having a day off from being Black". His request to "please take a night off from race issues" rang true from a person who wants to empathize and be supportive, but cannot really know the impact of the life. The fact that I am still thinking about the movie a few days later is meaningful (to me anyway!).

I wish the Mother character and probably the Brother as well, were more realistic in their haughtiness. Maybe the writer was looking for all attitudes to be explored, and, as likable as he was, the saintly Father may have been too good to be true. But the leads pulled off the underlying feeling that "love conquers all" and provided me with an entertaining, thoughtful couple of hours. It was the exact opposite of all those movies that I want "my two hours back!"