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Title :: Something New
Author :: EWAIM
Category :: Movies
Key Words ::

• Sanaa Lathan

Description ::
Interracial Romance Movie

I thought it was very good. It shows that some IR couples can actually get together for love and not superficial reasons.

Updated Sun, Dec 24 2006 12:34 pm

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I finally went to see it. I was scared to see it at first thinking it would be filled with stereotypes but the ones they had in there were not bad and led up to good points. I loved this movie.

Jul 30 2006, 09:33 PM
I loved this movie as well. After watching it several times it's working it's way up my list of favorite movies. And Simon Baker is absolutely gorgeous!

Imean, i loved his kewl shirts and slacks the movie for me was beautiful and too funny

Hated it! Just kidding but there was a scene when I wanted to slap some sense into Kenya.

i think this movie was 20 years too late as far as how unevolved Kenya's character was. i mean she acted as if she was scared of the man in some parts. i thought we have come a little further than that. also the way the match maker failed to mention the race, now we all know that never would have happened in reality. i did not care for this movie as much as i had hoped to. it was spilling over with stereotypes. i did like the fact that the white guy didn't appear to have money, that was important because for some reason people assume the only thing black women want a white guy for is to get money on the side. most of the white guys i see with black women are average, not poor and not rich unless she is poor or rich resectively.

I see that so far none of the other IM's have responded on the topc of "Something New" so I thought that I can be the 1st to give an IM's perspective. I like the movie very much, even bought the dvd, but there are parts I was seeing him as a lil bit weak. She never had to apologize for a couple of the things that I think I would have wanted to hear someone that cares for me acknowledge. I had to love the ending, they both got what they needed.

i agree with that. she was so close minded and wrong on things and he took her back. she truly was sorry but she should have explained because i can only imagine if he would have treated her that way.

I saw that movie few times.. Few parts disturbs me is that one of the story is that the movie didn't show on the white man's family side and how do they feel. The story was mostly focused on the Black Woman's feeling and her family.

Was the story about a Black woman's point of view? Just wondering.........

most of the movie distrubed me. i think some of us was just glad to get a movie like this that we ignored all of the flaws this movie had. this was a story from a black womans experience so i think it would be good to see one of these from a white mans experience and how his friends and family react.

I really loved this movie, and nothing really disturbed me about it. I agree it would have been nice to see how his family reacted but I think the film was more about her journy to live up to her true self. When we leave the issue of her being with a white man, we see that even thought she was a highly educated, accomplished women,she still carried many negative messages about who she was in her head, She did no have the courage to live against her mother wishes and even decorating her home in colours her mother said were acceptable and dressing in a way that she felt was what was expected of her. She was highly strung and obsessive which show just how anxious she really was deep down inside. It gave a wonderful insight into her inner thinking. When she met the white man and he asked for HER OPINION on what she liked, colours, dress, adventures, she realised she had never given any of them a thought and that most of what she did was not coming from HER CHOICE but by habit and expectancy form others.

The area which many complained about, regarding this supposed negative character of her brother, who kept having diffrent girlfriend. Well so what. Black people don't mind when other black people keep showing black men with heaps of "Hoes" and "Bitches" sitting around one black dude. in all black music video, but when it is contrasted by a black women being shown love and a white man really wanting to know how she feels about herself and what SHE LIKES, then they want to make out as if it was designed to dis black men. No it was not. They showed many examples of loving supportive black men in the relationship of her best friend, who married the cook, and her father and even in the guy she turned down. None of them were negatively shown, And when she was being hit on in the street by those black men, it was necessary to include two or three stereotypes, JUST BECASUE IT IS A FACT that many black men do come to BW like that.

I just loved the film and Yes I agree with storm that it might have been because I "....was just glad to get a movie like this that we ignored all of the flaws ..." But I do not know of a perfect movie which was able to cater for everyones take on what should have been included. I am just greatful that someone made a positive start along that road, by including a truly passionate and deeply moving love connection with a WM and BW.

Maybe next time we will see a movie that has nothing to do with WM or BW race, but just that they are a loving, passionate couple in the movie, and the focus is on other things.

I agree, this movie was definitely one sided in many ways. For one, Simon was portrayed as perfect and flawless, while much attention was payed to kenya's every emotion as if it was all up to her. Both parties are responsible for any relationship. I would also have liked to have seen more of his family/friends reactions.

Wow! Very well said. I have to agree that this movie is based on her perspective and her personal journey. She grew so much as a person from where she started. I think Simon's patience and unconditional genuine like is being mistaken for weakness. I'm amazed at the scrutiny of this movie not being "perfect". No movie is perfect and I wonder this movie is being held up to such a higher standard. It's entertainment! It's a m-o-v-i-e. As for her brother's character, the truth hurts. I think it was an accurate portrayal of some of these brothers who've got a little something. He made me sick. I agree with Cee Cee in that this movie in particular was excellent in showing a diverse yet positive image of the black men in the movie. This movie was written and directed by black women so I seriously doubt they would intentionally cast black women in a negative light. Of course, my comments are JMHO.

I haven't seen this movie, but after reading what you all have said of it I have gone to ebay and the movie is, as those artillery types like to say, on the way.

I enjoyed the movie enough to buy it, though in some ways I found myself having a bit of a hard time identifying with Kenya. I guess it's because some of the ways of thinking her character displayed are pretty foreign to me- I have my own opinions of things, not what my parents put on me, I never had much of any problem dating guys outside of my ethnic background, and I just don't generally conform (on a lot of things, not all) to what other people think I should be doing, thinking, etc. After reading Evia's blog I can very well understand the character of Kenya, hell, I think it's all of the Kenyas out there that Evia and others are trying to reach. In that regard this was probably a fairly important movie. The next thing needed is what others have mentioned- looking at things from the white boyfriends/husbands view and experience.

Something New came on cable just last night so I watched it and regarded some of the comments in this thread. Kenya, despite how successful she was in career, really had a sorry love life. Her mother was hilarious - she lived her life vicariously through her husband and her children. Her mother didn't have any personal life and derived her only pleasure from bragging on the accomplishments of her family. So her mother was a professional meddler and Kenya was a brat, living up to her mother's expectations.

Kenya wasn't even aware of her own likes - only her mother's likes. Her house was all beige. Why? Because her mother didn't like color. She couldn't even tell "Brian" why she didn't date outside her race - just that she didn't. All Brian did was unlock Kenya's inhibitions. He painted that child's toenails red and she lost her mind - had the dog all up in the house and everything. haha

I think this movie was about a journey to self discovery - something that Kenya had never been allowed to do. Brian saw through that tough exterior and got to the inner Kenya. You know she like him any time she went out the next day and cut that weave out.

I have watched it about 4 times now and every time I see that scene of Brian, sitting between her legs painting her nails I just feel MMMMMMMM and then him coming up from there to her face. DAMN! and DAMN again its so sensual. I love her at the dance show watching those two dancers and getting all turned on thinking of him. LOL so cute

From the Oprah show:

Simon, an Australian actor, admits that he knew very little about African-American women and culture when he first arrived on the set. During filming, he says he asked his co-stars to "fill him in" on important cultural differences. Simon says these lessons taught him that his on-screen relationship was not simply a "biracial" romance…it was "bicultural.""We're saying you should follow your heart. … [The movie] is really just about trying not to care so much about what others think and following your heart," Sanaa says.

Both Sanaa and Oprah say they have dated white men in the past... "The world is a great, big, wide place where there's possibilities to love lots of different people," Oprah says. "But that's why [Something New] is so great—because it's a full-circle moment in opening your heart to the possibilities."

I have probably watched this like ten times, Simon Baker is one hot guy, the movie was good in the fact that the subject matter interested me but i got a little sick of her whining and her mother character, they did bring a lot of good points about the trial that they faced and how misunderstandings can cloud a relationship, i thought his character was very patient and understanding about her concerns but it was like they were forever beating that dead horse to death, ok i got it lets move on but i liked it for portraying an interracial couple, all the stereotyping did get on my nerves, especially the part of symora the comediene saying she must have brought h er night lite, wow that was a low moment for me in the movie, i didn't find it funny in the least and i thought she would have stood up for him...and the way she acted as she was ashamed, i guess thats the parts that got on my last nerves but i like the romance between them, they had great chemistry maybe i am projecting....

yes indeed. a very low moment. i hated that part.

Cee Cee - don't forget the part when he said "don't move" like 3 times. Lawd hammercy.

I like what Simon had to say. I always thought that maybe they had something going off set because the chemistry between the two of them was electric and seemed very natural.

ChocolatePink, gosh you make a good point that I forgot about completely. That woman made me SICK. I hated that part and she was NOT funny.

I got particularly annoyed about the sniper comment. I live in the DC metropolitan area and that sniper shit was NOTHING to joke about. I get upset thinking about it again. We were TERRIFIED here in this area, not knowing when/where he would show up. I won't get too O/T so I'll stop but that woman was just wrong and that whole scene was awful. I think should have been left out of the movie completely.

chocolatepink' I forgot about this part that you mentioned "...the part of symora the comediene saying she must have brought h er night lite, wow that was a low moment for me in the movie, i didn't find it funny in the least and i thought she would have stood up for him...and the way she acted as she was ashamed..."

I totally agree with you about that comedian.

About her acting ashamed. I know many black women do act like that when they are with their white men, especially when they are newly into IR dating. I was a little like that for a short time, some 20 odd years ago, when I first started. I am not proud of it but it is true. I did get that part.

"Cee Cee - don't forget the part when he said "don't move" like 3 times. Lawd hammercy" DameoftheRealm OOOOOWEEEE

Absolutely agree with ya on that one, I didn't like Blair's character i felt he was way too pushy and trying to plan her life out for her, i was glad when she told him that it couldn't work, that was a bright moment, cuz i was cheering for her and simon, anyways good movie, but we need more BWWM interracial movies and i would just hope they won't be hard to find, like only opening in certain theatre's, there is such a market for this that i don't understand why we don't have more choices, i take that back i do understand, but i wish they would catch up with us, i am constantly frustrated by the limited selections of BWWM, interracial books, films and the disparity compared to other genre's but hey hope springs eternal

Yeah, your right cee cee, some women do feel that way and hopefully they deal with their feeling and come through ok like you did, i just want women to feel proud of whomever they are in a relationship with that makes them happy and not care what others have to say about it and feel empowered. But i understand your point totally

alex

Alex, I am totally with you there sweetie

Parts of the movie showed him playing into that white guy push over type. He should have stood his ground a little more. He needed to be more human in the movie and less robotic.

Something New was a step in the right direction but it would be nice to see a BW/WM movie from the white man's point of view since this movie dealt with her friends and family only. I just wonder how his family and friends would have reacted to him dating a black woman.

Kenya and Brian were introduced by his white female friend and then there was Penelope (haha). They showed his father at the very end. Simon goes and hugs him as his father wipes away a tear. In the group picture at the end there are a smattering of white people that we are left to assume are his family. But I totally agree, they should have at least shown her mother meeting his parents. Now THAT would have been funny.

I know they showed one female friend but no male friends. His father didn't even speak in the entire movie. Don't get me wrong I loved the movie but it was one sided. Can you imagine if her mother would have met his parents, girl that would have been a trip because sista was all about 'titles'(Dr. & Mrs. McQueen).

Several days ago I saw some posting about "Something New" and went over to ebay and ordered it then. I received the DVD in the mail today, but haven't popped it in yet. I will enjoy it soon.

JMO, But I think that was the point of the movie was to show how far sisters have and can evolve. I admit Kenya was a bit extreme, but as a writer I believe that character was written like that on purpose so that the audience could see the evolution of the character. But, to soften her extreme nature, that is why you have the other female characters to bring a balance to Kenya's. In the movie, there was a sense of color and freedom that accompanied Kenya on her journey. She went from stern and bland to welcoming and warm.

Also, Alfre Woodard's character (Kenya's mother) is very indicative of many black mothers of that generation. Of course I cannot speak to every mother, but many of them who push their daughters to marry this ideal black man. (Educated, church going, good provider) because that is what they were taught, which is why 75-90% of women out here come from broken homes. Our mothers married for love in some cases, but they also married as their mothers taught them. A good black man who paid the bills and "provided". Happiness wasnt a factor in most cases.

Nowawadays, we have more freedoms than our parents, its okay to seek love in more places than the black community. IMO, for the first time in our history, black women are allowed to fully be themselves and some of us are realizing that although black men are wonderful, sometimes, we find men of other races attractive and we are going for it. Bottom line, that's what Something New was all about, letting go of those invisible boundaries that have been set by our mothers, and our communities and pursuing what truly makes us happy. No matter what package that happines comes in.

I love the movie...flawed or not flawed....i still loved it....i like the part when the spider got caught in her hair....her reaction reminded me of myself alot...... ....my husband reminded me of this......lol

This is one of my favorite movies, I even own it on dvd. :p

Yea, it's a chick flick, but I HAD to see it since it was about a bw/wm romance. However, I had to buy 2 other, more manly, movies along with "Something New" because that was the only way it would've been acceptable at the register. :p

Some people on here said that they wished they showed Brian's family, etc, well I think if they did then the movie would've lost it's impact and it's intended message towards black women to be more open to date men of other races.

I actually liked the movie the way it was, it showed a good wholesome african american family without any of the negative stereotypes that plague so many movies nowadays. It was as refreshing as watching the "Barbershop" movies.

Yup, either two "manly action flicks" or 1 porn, whichever you prefer.



Snakecharmer

Lmao, exactly!

I love the movie! I own it to see whenever.

Very good story and loved that it was a natural thing for the 2 to be attracted to the other. Neither had been in an Interracial relationship before, both having reservations about being with each other. Then there was the pressure of her brother to fix her up with a brother, and mom and dads oppositon to it, then dad wanted her to be happy and told her to go far it! Both were miserable without the other and then she goes and get him to take to the ball.

Alfrie Woodard which is married Interracially in real life, opposed it in the movie. Then they didn't care, love won out and they got married! WOW!

LOVED IT!

Going against the odds!

Wayne

I absolutely love this movie. I usually do not buy DVD's, but this one was a must have. I have watched it so many times that I am embarrassed to say. Ever since the movie, I have been searching for a man that can paint my toenails!