Something New (PG)

What’s it about?
Not a BFI offering but something quite daring from the US, which takes the age-old story of race preference and turns it on its head. Kenya is a Black American High flyer brought up in a family with high expectations of their children. She also has a list of things she doesn’t do that includes bugs, anything red and, white men. Until that is she’s set up on a blind date with landscaper and architect Brian who is everything she thinks she doesn’t want in an ideal partner, including being white. However spending time with him whilst he landscapes her own garden, she is forced to re-evaluate her own expectations and opinion on matters of the heart.

Highs n lows
This is meant to be a humorous look at the challenges of mixed relationships with the moral being that love has no colour bar ad we shouldn’t judge people by it. Unfortunately an idea that could have worked well tried too hard to get its point across. You have a script which veers between two extremes, hard hitting at times, even being brave enough to talk about things like the ‘black tax’ and hair extensions for example, which sits uneasily with the attempts at humour that follow all to quickly behind. It’s all topped by such a sugary sentimental coating that I doubt it will be taken seriously by those who need to hear its message.

Is it any good?
3 out of 5 – nice to watch if you are in the mood for a bit of romance, and can overlook the Americanness of it all.