Leading Ladies: February 2006

Something New

Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker, Blair Underwood, Alfre Woodard, Donald Faison
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Rating: PG-13

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and, happily, there'll be at least one romantic comedy for both lovers and the lovelorn to enjoy this year. The female critics agree this week that Something New, about a highly successful professional woman and a landscape artist who fall into an interracial love affair, is full of heart.

The Chicago Tribune's Jessica Reaves says, "Thanks to [the director's] light touch and the considerable chemistry between Lathan and Baker, it's easy to forgive [any] missteps -- leaving the film plenty of goodwill to spare."

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie Rickey says, "[The lead characters] are both victims of racism and also guilty of it. But the colorful mosaic of their courtship is no downer... but rather an upbeat account of expanding social and romantic possibilities in a world where women wear the suits and men speak the language of flowers."

The Austin Chronicle's Kimberley Jones says the movie "manages the neat feat of feeling sweetly inevitable rather than boilerplate predictable," and the New York Daily News's Jami Bernard calls it "a satisfying chick flick that follows all the usual rules of the modern romantic comedy except one -- it's not stupid."

Adds the New York Times's Manohla Dargis, the movie is "a pleasantly diverting romance... it's a store-bought valentine with real heart."

Female consensus: Something New is something good

next : In limited release