Kenya McQueen (Sanaa Lathan) is a beautiful, successful African American senior manager at a prestigious accounting firm, who is on the verge of making partner. She has yet to find a long-term romantic partner and a fulfilling personal life, so her friends urge her let go of her dream of the “ideal black man” and try something new. They set her up on a blind date with a free-spirited architectural landscaper named Brian Kelly (Simon Baker), and she agrees to go out with him only to cut their date short when she learns upon meeting him that he is white. The two eventually meet again at a party and Kenya hires Brian to landscape her back yard. They begin to hit it off over time, but Kenya’s fears about whether her friends and family will accept their romantic relationship threaten to ruin everything. Ultimately Kenya has to make a decision for herself and follow her heart wherever it may lead her.Sanaa Lathan plays the rigid, uptight, professional Kenya McQueen quite well, and Simon Baker’s portrayal of Brian is also ideal. He has the ability to break Kenya out of her shell, and he encourages her to become more comfortable with herself. This movie creates a realistic picture of a large demographic of African American women in this country, and it is not your typical romantic comedy because it touches on some real race issues, including “the black tax” and reverse racism. I have heard some black males state that this movie portrays them in a negative light, but I do not see that as the case at all. There are plenty of affluent, positive black male characters represented throughout the film, including Kenya’s father, Edmond McQueen (Earl Billings) her best friend’s boyfriend, Walter (Mike Epps) and Mark Harper (Blair Underwood), whom Kenya dates for a short stint. Overall, the most important aspect of the storyline and the film is that true happiness may show up where we least expect it and that in order to find love with someone else, you must learn to be yourself and love who you are first.
12 comments:
I definitely liked this movie. I thought it was a true portrayal of a successful black woman struggling to find happiness in a successful relationship. Great review!
I enjoyed this movie. I agree that you must follow your heart and not let color define who you date.
This movie was much better then I thought it would be. I really enjoyed this film and it surprised me.
The film move almost perfectly through the emotions that are felt in a relationship.
I am actually looking forward to seeing this movie again.
George
I thought this was a cute little movie. It not only showed the serious aspect of racial issues but it also showed the sweet side of when heart prevails over mind!
I liked it, I thought it just showed that you can't help who you fall in love with regardless of color.
Good review... This movie was decent, but I definitely think it's a chick flick.
This was a really cute movie, and I agree that it portrays a realistic situation regarding a successful black woman looking for love.
I guess I'm alone on this one, but I didn't really like this movie at all. Although it was a different storyline from your typical romantic comedy, I still wasn't really feeling it.
I agree that this movie was pretty good. Although Sanaa ended up with a white guy, I agree that it still didn't slight black men in the film.
I really liked this movie. I thought it was a positive message that eventually Sanaa's character saw past race and ended up with the man she truly loved.
This was a good review, and I also really enjoyed this movie and thought that it was cute. ;-)
I loved this movie! It is definitely an eye opener.. I truly believe that there is someone out there for everyone.. I felt her every emotion!
Post a Comment