Good,
yet still funny, romantic films are hard to come by. Most romantic
comedies bend too heartily to some outrageously contrived conceit,
sacrificing plausible characters and interactions in an effort to pump
up comedic set pieces. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many
tearjerkers typically over-inflate or too obviously compact the drama
and pathos of fresh love, missing out on its facile, easygoing
vibrancy. Rare are the films which are both funny and yet seem utterly
human as well, films which generate conflict from deep, real personal
problems, not just surface conflict. Into that latter category dances Something New, a movie that slowly grows on you and paradoxically seems even fresher when granted some time and a second viewing.
Written by Kriss Turner, produced by Stephanie Allain and directed by Sanaa Hamri, Something New
is on the surface a minority-skewing, light-and-airy look at
interracial romance — the story of an uptight, white-collar
African-American workaholic who learns to relax and get her groove
back, all courtesy of an unlikely blind date hook-up with a decidedly
blue-collar white guy. “I take hard soil and make something bloom,”
says Brian Kelly (Simon Baker) of his job when he meets Kenya McQueen
(Sanaa Lathan), but he might as well be talking about the effect he’ll
eventually have on her.
Something New starts out from upon a bit of a pedestal, with
its pedantic talk of “42.4 percent of all black women never getting
married,” and Kenya and her trio of well-to-do professional friends all
bemoaning the current states of their unions, or rather lack thereof.
Viewers can be forgiven for bracing themselves for another harebrained
film in which men are stereotypically dogged and only the most obvious
racial differences get trotted out for some sassy badinage.
But a funny thing happens on the way to the wincing. Such hectoring
chatter abates, because both Kenya and Brian are beautifully sketched,
three-dimensional characters. The work of both Lathan and Baker ranks
as the best of their respective careers, and the movie even does a
handy job of introducing another dashing romantic prospect, Mark Harper
(Blair Underwood), who on the surface is a much better match for Kenya.
When Kenya bristles at Brian innocently inquiring about her weave, or
the pair fight about race after a tired Brian innocently interrupts
her, but thus offends her sense of being, Something New lives
up to its title. It’s an entertaining and optimistic film that’s also
decidedly of the 21st century in a way that even a lot of very
intelligent people aren’t — open-minded and accepting of other races
while also being honest about our differences.
Something New is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen
transfer that is crystal clear, with no discernible grain or edge
enhancement. The audio — a Dolby digital 5.1 English language track —
is more than capable to handle the relatively sparse aural demands of
this film, and optional Spanish, English and French subtitles are also
included. Unfortunately, though, the supplemental materials are rather
lacking. A cursory, 11-minute making-of featurette includes interviews
with virtually every member of the movie’s ensemble cast, and while
there are a few insightful comments about race and love that help raise
this above the level of congratulatory back-slapping one might expect
from such an EPK-style mini-doc, you’re still left wanting more. In the
only other extra, a brief, 15-second introduction from Underwood sets
up a five-minute segment in which cast members share their own
do-and-don’t tips for first dates. Where’s the filmmaker-producer
commentary track? B+ (Movie) C (Disc)