By Carla Robinson

All About You is a romantic comedy in the grand tradition of films like When Harry Met Sally and Notting Hill. It’s a funny, charming date movie that luxuriates in the discovery and flowering of love. Like a vacation in paradise, All About You takes us to those tender places where we all need to go sometimes. Nicole, its main character, is a conflicted young woman running from a past she can hardly acknowledge and a future she desperately wants to thwart. Played by effervescent newcomer Renee Goldsberry (whose quirky sweetness and girl-next-door beauty will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Meg Ryan), Nicole is instantly likeable and from the moment we meet her, we care very much about her journey.

When Nicole’s longtime boyfriend reveals that he has cold feet, she decides to end their relationship and move in with his cousin Lisa (sassy LisaRaye of The Players Club fame). Lisa provides a sympathetic ear and cozy place to sleep, but she doesn’t tell Nicole until the last minute that she’ll be away for a while and, in her place, Nicole will be getting a new roommate. Nicole hates the idea but can’t do anything to change it, and it’s not long before she’s caught in a compromising position by Brian (Terron Brooks, who starred as Eddie Kendricks in the television bio-pic The Temptations), a gorgeous hunk who shows up to take up his part of the living space. Brian may be a cutie pie, but Nicole will have no part of him. She’s working to rebuild her life and her new structure doesn’t include a man.

But Brian knows a fellow runaway when he sees one. He’s a singer and songwriter who is seeking to reconnect with his past, and he when he falls for Nicole, he presents her with so much patience and openness that her tough exterior cracks in two. The two characters become acquainted in scenes that are almost pastoral in their loveliness, and which culminate at a party filled with beautiful scenery and beautiful people. Brian has convinced Nicole to sing a duet with him, and when they do so at the party, a moment that could come off as cheesy is instead captivating. Nicole falls hard for Brian, but there’s something about him she doesn’t know, and when she finds out, it becomes an obstacle that threatens to derail their burgeoning love affair.

All About You doesn’t expand its genre; rather, it plays it a bit safe, following typical romantic comedy conventions. This means there are no real surprises in its plot, most of which you can see coming, and some of its performances are a tad stock. But never mind all that. It’s a well-crafted, beautifully shot and ultimately satisfying film. It delivers on its promises, showing African-American people in a way that so many of us have longed to see ourselves. Add Debbie Allen, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Lou Myers (remember Mr. Gaines from “A Different World”?), who provide colorful performances, and All About You becomes a trip well worth taking. M

February 2002

Author: MOSAEC