“Something New” hits theaters in February
JC
Thanks to Rea for this tip! “Something New,” an interracial romance/dramedy is scheduled to come out in February 2006. Sanaa Lathan knows exactly what she is looking for in a boyfriend — and then falls in love with her white landscaper to everyone’s surprise (including herself). View trailer here. Synopsis:
A romantic comedy about finding love when and where it’s least expected. Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) is a beautiful career woman who has achieved great professional success but still yearns for a fulfilling personal life. Looking for that “perfect man”, she even has a checklist at the ready. When she’s set up on a blind date with Brian (Simon Baker), a sexy and free-spirited landscaper who’s not exactly what she’d pictured for herself, Kenya is not amused… but she does need help fixing up the yard of her new house. An emotional and often hilarious movie about following your heart – no matter where it takes you.
Something about the trailer reminded me of “Guess Who,” the latest popular interracial romance comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. Hopefully “Something New” won’t be the same old. 
[Note from CVK] If you watch the trailer, you’ll see that Sanaa has to choose between Simon Baker and Blair Underwood. Does anyone else find it interesting that interracial relationship movies with a black female protagonist always seem to set up the plot so that she has to choose which man she’s going to go with: the black one or the white one? I’m thinking specifically of The Wedding (1998 TV movie starring Halle Berry) and Mixing Nia (also a 1998 movie where the protagonist is a mixed b/w woman). Somehow the fellas never have to “choose sides” in such a blatant way when they’re the stars of the movie.
Keya wrote:
“Does anyone else find it interesting that interracial relationship movies with a black female protagonist always seem to set up the plot so that she has to choose which man she’s going to go with: the black one or the white one? ”
So True, why can’t movies and television just accept a black woman with a white man and leave it at that. Why does there have to be a black man waiting around somewhere.
Posted 26 Nov 2005 at 7:34 pm ¶
Rachel S wrote:
What troubles me about all of these Black/White IR movies is that they have this tendancy to make it look like Blacks are the primary people who have a problem with IRs. It’s as if White disapproval doesn’t exist, which is rubbish.
Posted 26 Nov 2005 at 11:56 pm ¶
Revolution wrote:
I think black women dating/marrying white men historically is an issue for black folks. I’m not African American, but I’ve been in African American social circles and have read some history of miscegenation in the US, enough to think that black women have been historically mistreated in the US by white men, so it might be a bigger issue for some black folks than white folks. I agree with Rachel S. that the movie’s slant (judging from the trailer) is very skewed. Plenty of white folks still have huge hangups too. Heck, this country still has huge hang-ups with interracial relationships, marriage and children.
Posted 29 Nov 2005 at 3:24 pm ¶
dudette wrote:
i agree with that above statement from Rachel S. even in a interracial relationship blacks are made to look racist and intolerant, historically this is not true, it was in fact the black community that interracial couples could live in relative peace! not a white one. there are plenty of white people who are opposed to this.
Posted 29 Nov 2005 at 6:26 pm ¶
Bohwe wrote:
I think the way this movie is presented is for the moviegoer. It’s not based on the reality of what particular racial group has a problem with interracial dating, it’s about making a picture comfortable for the majority to go see it. This movie switched stereotypes a little, by having the AA family or friends upset, rather than the Caucasian American counterparts upset. Although, we sometimes know that isn’t the case, in order for this movie to sell and make money, the Studio has to fashion this story to bring in the white audience, because they are the population that goes to the movie. I’m not offended by this, it’s entertainment, and for once a black woman is the leading lady and she’s the object of 2 men desires. What’s wrong with that? And as far as what is historically accurate, well this is entertainment.
Posted 31 Dec 2005 at 3:33 pm ¶
James Simpson wrote:
I think the movie is definitely subverting the stereotypes a bit. For instance Sanaa’s character Kenya is an educated black woman that is an attorney. I feel far too often with interracial romances between women of colour and white men the woman of colour has to be saved by the white man. Movies such as the Jennifer Lopez flick Maid In Manhattan and Halle Berry in Monster Ball are perfect examples of this. In some ways those movies also present racist stereotypes about women of colour NEEDING a white man to give them a better life.Couldn’t Jennifer Lopez character find a good hispanic man to love her? And why didn’t Halle Berry’s character not know any good black men? These movies make men of colour look bad…as though we don’t treat our women right.
Posted 31 Dec 2005 at 6:52 pm ¶
Bertrum says wrote:
Excellent post Mr. Simpson. Indeed the majority of inter-racial movies show the women of color needing to be saved by the white knight (pun intended). This film seems to have a little of that–to the extent it seems like Simon Baker gets Sanaa Latham to loosen up and let go of a preconcieved list of must haves. I think its actually beneficial that she is torn between 2 suitors–so she’s not seen as running to a white man because there are no suitable black men (another stereotype).
Posted 21 Jan 2006 at 7:11 pm ¶
Ivan M wrote:
Im a black man and i find these type of movies very disrespectfull to black men. The message in these types of movies is saying to black women is: If you want a better life and to have a perfect man, get yourself a white man. This is crap, because theres plenty of nice and decent blackmen out there doing somthing positive. I feel as black people we shouldnt support these type of slavery mentality type movies, and also we as black people should stick together and marry amongst ourselves, because we are all we got.
Posted 13 Feb 2006 at 2:51 pm ¶
kenny wrote:
There is no question that these movies always end up with the woman of color finding happiness with a White man. Even when they don’t address it, it’s there. In Bodyguard Whitney Houston and her sister were throwing themselves at the Costner character. Funny how the White family is never no question. Even West Side Story does it to a degree.
Posted 23 Feb 2006 at 10:00 am ¶