Her family’s expectation that she succeed in a white world, on the white world’s terms, ultimately has the effect of stifling Kenya’s personality. Her stick-straight hair, beige business suits, and clipped speech act as a kind of corset on her natural strengths, preventing her from strongly voicing opinions that would be valuable to her firm. The film even goes so far as to suggest that they have made her a slight bit touchy and paranoid.
So when Kenya does finally, cautiously begin to come out of her shell and move past her perceptions, we cheer in unison not because she is “sticking it to the man” but because she is using her the gifts of her heritage to benefit everyone—herself, Brian, her workplace—around her.
Thanks to outstanding performances from Lathan, Baker, and Woodard, the movie is able to explore black/white issues without ever reducing them to stereotypes or demeaning any character. When it comes to race on film, that certainly is something new.