Everyone Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) meets is convinced that
she’s a self-assured, independent woman. Indeed, she’s on the
verge of being made a partner at the accounting firm where she works, owns
her own home, keeps herself fit, and is, some would say, a knockout. But
Kenya’s appearance is nothing but a façade used to ward off
prospective romantic partners. Her fortress is her career, her defense is
constantly working, and her maniacal pace through life prevents Kenya from
thinking about how empty that life really is. Kenya’s trials are at the center of Sanaa
Hamri’s Something New, a film that not only deals with modern race relations but also
the trials and tribulations of today’s singles. Hamri and
screenwriter Kriss Turner suggest that the preconceptions that keep some
African-Americans and whites apart today aren’t all that different
from those men and women contend with in trying to find that perfect
someone. That one film would be willing to deal with issues of race as well
as those between the sexes seems overly ambitious, yet Hamri does a fine
job of not only juggling these two potentially volatile issues but also
actually providing some worthy insight into both. The film’s characters are filled with
contradictions. Although Kenya and her friends are all successful,
independent women, they still cling to an unrealistic notion of the ideal
partner. A Prince Charming is rare, and Kenya is smart enough to know this.
She simply adheres to this ideal so that she can have an excuse to dump
anyone who doesn’t meet her exacting standards. Then she meets Brian
(Simon Baker), a man who runs his own business, has a great dog instead of
kids, is tall and handsome, and has great teeth. The only problem:
He’s white. Hamri and Turner wisely take their time exploring this
relationship. Kenya and Brian fall in love not overnight but instead over
time something that might not play well in a movie but is far more true to
life. Not only must she contend with her reservations about Brian’s
race, but she and Brian must also come to terms with their romantic
feelings, as well as the fears that they engender. Fortunately,
Turner’s script is witty and the performances by Lathan and Baker are
just as they should be — natural and unaffected.
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2006.
