I know this movie is a bit dated but Oxygen has been playing it for the last couple of days. So, I decided to write a quick review.
This is the classic fish out of water tale with Simon Baker (Brian) as the hunk du jour and Sanaa Lathan (Kenya) as the guarded women who can't find love. The twist, Brian is white and Kenya is black.
Even more of a twist, Brian is a working class landscaper who gets set up on a blind date with the snobbish upper-crust Kenya. They both go through this awkward dance of he's attracted to her without reservation and she is attracted to him but worried what other people think.
I wanted to like this movie but as with any movie you have to actually buy into the plot. I did not. Brian is a gorgeous, really nice guy and Kenya is a snob. She brushes him off so many times and is constantly in 'black against the world' mode. She puts him out because he asks her why she wears a hair weave. She is mistreated at work and complains ad nauseum about this to Brian who in frustration tells her in an argument he basically doesn't want to hear it. Kenya of course breaks up with him. Enters Blair Underwood, who is hot chocolate incarnate. Rich, debonair, willing and ready to marry. Of course Kenya dumps him because she misses Brian.
This is where I must suspend all belief in order to follow the rest of the movie. I don't know too many women, let alone black women, who are mid-thirties and unmarried who would turn down not one but two eligible bachelors. Also, Sanaa Lathan is not that cute to me. Her character's personality is so off-putting I don't understand why either man wants to be with her.
I saw so much potential in this movie but the point just gets lost. Brian is too perfect and Kenya too flawed. I won't tell you the end. You can watch it if you want. Let me know if you disagree.
My bigger problem with this was the two of them didn’t appear to have any on screen chemistry. It’s hard to buy into a romance story when the main characters don’t appear to be attracted to one another
Oh Taula; I actually liked the movie. I love me some Blair mmmm,mmmmm, good Underwood. For that reason alone I watch this movie again and again. I am with Stan there did not seem to be any chemistry, they both seemed a little uncomfortable.
This movie isn’t having such a good impression of the public. I’ll wait ’til it comes out on DVD. Instead, me and my wife went to see “The Secret Life of Bees”. Excellent! After that movie, when we got back home, we turned the TV on and learned of that awful, awful situation going on with J-Hud. At this time, I ask all of you to please join me in prayer for J-Hud and her entire family.
Stan and Jazzy:
I agree. They both seemed afraid of each other. But Sanaa always comes across like that to me.
ST,
I am from Chicago and I am heartbroken about the news. I didn’t want to write about it because it is too upsetting. Chicago is becoming murder central. We need to pray about that as well.