IT REALLY IS 'SOMETHING NEW'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

SMART, SEXY and frank in a way you don't expect from the genre, the romantic comedy ``Something New'' lives up to its title and then some. Written with a bright, funny knowingness by first-time screenwriter Kriss Turner and directed with sensuous grace by another first-timer, Sanaa Hamri, the movie pulls off the considerable feat of offering something for the heart and the head. To label it a ``romantic comedy'' almost feels dismissive.

But the movie does have the genre's structure. It takes two people - a workaholic female professional and a down-to-earth (literally) landscaper - and has them meet cute and then does the usual push-pull dance with their attraction. Obstacles must be overcome in order for true love to prevail.

Here, though, the barriers are unusual, at least for a movie. The career woman, Kenya (Sanaa Lathan), is black. Her carefree suitor, Brian (Simon Baker), is white. And for Kenya, who initially meets Brian on a blind date at a Starbucks in Baldwin Hills, Brian's race excludes him from her interest. She has her List, her idea of the Ideal Black Male, and her narrow requirements are one reason Kenya remains single.

``Your preference is your prejudice,'' Brian tells her.

Kenya disagrees. But one of the film's starting points is a statistic that the number of never-married black women has doubled since 1950, rising to 42.4 percent. The filmmakers mean their movie to ask whether it's advisable, or even possible, to step outside your race to find true love.

The movie doesn't skirt the problems and tensions of an interracial romance, issues that are still prevalent in 2006, even in a city as racially diverse as Los Angeles. In this respect, ``Something New'' is a smarter, more honest look at race than Paul Haggis' Oscar-nominated ``Crash.'' It's not as affected as ``Crash,'' but neither is it an exercise in group-hug therapy.

``The boy's just white,'' Kenya's lovable father (Earl Billings, quite wonderful in his limited screen time) tells her more skeptical mother (Alfre Woodard). ``He's not a Martian.''

Indeed. And all this talk about race should not overshadow the fact that the director Hamri has created a visually striking film featuring two beautiful people (Hamri's camera takes special pleasure in lingering on Baker's biceps) who actually make a convincing, appealing couple. That the sexiest film in ages also has something to say feels like a gift. Don't let it pass you by without opening it.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

SOMETHING NEW - Three and one half stars

(PG-13: sexual references)

Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker.

Director: Sanaa Hamri.

Running time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Playing: In wide release.

In a nutshell: Smart and sexy romantic comedy that has a thing or three to say about race relations in L.A., but doesn't let that get in the way of a good time.

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Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker have plenty to overcome with their romantic pairing in ``Something New.''