Film

Something New

Name: Something New
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Released: 2006
Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker, Blair Underwood, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Taraji P. Henson

Romance
Light-hearted

A successful Black woman encounters unexpected romance with a white man and faces pressure from her community to choose him or a more 'appropriate' partner. It's a smart, warm romantic comedy that takes its central tension seriously without becoming preachy. For anyone who's felt the weight of other people's expectations about who you should love.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a light romance about a woman who's tidy about everything except her heart, with the warmth of a close-knit friend group and a love story that lets the comedy and the cultural specifics breathe.

Skip it if the romance runs on familiar rom-com beats and a fairly modest comic punch, so if you need surprise or sharp edges, its predictability may wear thin.

What it asks of you: A relaxed ninety-nine minutes with a leisurely pace and a light, warm touch, lingering on the heroine's indecision and the small social moments between the big ones.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Waiting to Exhale1995

Four Black women navigate love, friendship and self-discovery with humour and genuine emotional depth. It's warm ensemble storytelling that treats romance as one part of a fuller, richer life.

But The '90s references and some dated styling might feel distant, though the core themes of female friendship and independence still land hard.

The Best Man1999

A wedding brings together a tight friend group where romance, loyalty and race complicate everything. It's funny, sexy and genuinely moves between lightness and real stakes without losing either.

But The ensemble cast means less screen time for any single relationship, and some of the comedy beats feel of their era.

Guess Who2005

Similar premise—interracial couple meets family expectations—but played as comedy with depth underneath. It finds humour in the tension without dismissing the real complexity of what the characters feel.

But It leans harder into broad comedy than Something New does, so if you want drama with your romance, this skews lighter.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Something New

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

High Fidelity2000

Both are romantic comedies where the real story isn't about whether they end up together, but about whether the protagonist can actually change who they are and what they believe they deserve.

A man forced to examine his romantic patterns and what he actually wants beneath his defences. Like Something New, it's about choosing growth over comfort, and it takes that choice seriously without losing warmth or humour.

But It's structured as a messy internal monologue rather than a clean narrative arc, and the protagonist isn't always likeable.

Brown Sugar2002

Two friends with complicated history navigate romance and ambition across a decade. It's got charm, a great soundtrack and real chemistry, plus it takes both their goals seriously.

But The pacing stumbles in the middle and some plot threads feel rushed, especially in the second half.

Dreamgirls2006

Ambitious women pursuing dreams while romance and friendship fracture around them. It's visually sumptuous and emotionally bruising in ways that make you feel something real.

But It's a musical-drama hybrid that can feel overwrought, and some of the character turns happen too suddenly to fully land.

Love Jones1997

Poet and photographer in Chicago navigate attraction, insecurity and what they actually want from each other. It's sensual, thoughtful and understands that romance isn't just about the feeling—it's about the choice.

But The pacing is deliberately slow and reflective; if you want plot momentum, this prioritises mood over forward motion.

Deliver Us from Eva2003

A woman who meddles in her sisters' love lives meets her match in a charming man. It's got heart under the comedy and doesn't condescend to its characters or their world.

But The plot beats are fairly predictable and some secondary characters aren't developed much beyond archetypes.

Poetic Justice1993

A grieving poet takes a road trip and finds unexpected connection. It's visually beautiful, genuinely romantic and treats both characters' inner lives with real care and curiosity.

But The pacing is meditative and some viewers find the plot thin compared to the atmosphere and mood.

Juwanna Mann2002

A woman pursues a basketball star and they develop real feeling beneath the surface comedy. It's sweet and earnest and doesn't require you to pretend the premise makes total sense.

But It's essentially a wish-fulfilment fantasy and some supporting characters exist only to move the plot along.

The Half of It2020

Both explore how family and community pressure shapes who we choose to love, and both suggest that the real courage is choosing authenticity over approval.

A brilliant queer coming-of-age story about identity, expectation and who you're allowed to love. Funny, heartfelt and wise about the gap between who people expect you to be and who you actually are.

But It's quieter and more introspective than conventional romance, and the ending refuses to give you the satisfaction you might expect.

Chungking Express1994

Both are films about how romance arrives when you're not looking for what you think you want, and both trust mood and visual storytelling as much as dialogue to convey what the characters feel.

A Hong Kong cop stumbles into unexpected connection with a mysterious woman. It's visually dazzling, achingly romantic and treats loneliness and chance encounter with real poetic beauty.

But It's a 1994 film in Cantonese with subtitles, the plot is deliberately oblique, and some find the pacing frustratingly slow.