On the surface, Kenya McQueen (Sanaa Lathan) is a success story. A well-educated Black woman with a satisfying professional career, she is on the fast track to even greater success when she realizes that it isn't enough. Kenya also craves love. Always prepared, she has a detailed idea of what she wants her man to be, but finding someone who meets her requirements is much more difficult.
Out of frustration, Kenya goes on a blind date with Brian (Simon Baker), a very nice man, but a man who doesn't really fit the image that Kenya had of her dream man. Brian is a nature lover, a man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and he's White. Kenya begins to like Brian and although he isn't exactly what she would've chosen, she's beginning to wonder if her strict standards really matter.
Of course, just as Kenya may have had her mind made up, she meets the man who does meet all of the old requirements. Mark (Blair Underwood) is everything that Kenya had wanted before she met Brian. Mark is a professional Black man, handsome and well read, and eager to prove to Kenya that he is the right choice for the man of her dreams.
Kenya's friends and family also have their varied opinions on her love life. "Scrubs" star Donald Faison is Kenya's younger brother, Golden Brooks, Mike Epps, Taraji P. Henson ("Hustle and Flow"), and Wendy Raquel Robinson ("Two Can Play That Game") also star.
I was eager to review this film since it was directed, written, and produced by African-American women - unfortunately, this is a special circumstance in Hollywood. The film is light, but address some serious issues; does race really matter when it comes to love? Donald Faison, Mike Epps, and Golden Brooks are as funny as we expect them to be, and Sanaa Lathan is great as the slightly neurotic Kenya. This film is also a real treasure in featuring women of color who represent all of us - professional or not - as intelligent, funny women, capable of taking care of ourselves, but also open to love.
"Something New" is directed by Sanaa Hamri, director of the UPN hit, "Girlfriends" in which Golden Brooks costars. The film was written by Kriss Turner, who has written for the another UPN hit, "Everybody Hates Chris."
Extra! Extra!
Tidbit: Notice that the lead actress and director share the same first name? Sanaa is Swahili for "beauty" or more specifically, "work of art."
