The Flipcritic

When one watches GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967), it is easy to dismiss it as preachy, obvious, and dated, not realizing the bravery it took to make it and the impact it had on American audiences in the late 60s. Telling the tale of a young white woman taking home an upstanding black man to meet her parents and tell them of their plans to marry, the film is a watershed in American Cinema. Interracial marriage was illegal in 16 states at the time, and the movie had the courage to take on its racist implications head on. It helped that the man being introduced is played by a young Sidney Poitier, an actor whose name is synonymous with dignity, as well having two of Hollywood’s greatest, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, play the welcoming parents.

Times have changed. How much depends on whom you ask. If you ask me, the issue is nonexistent. Though cultural differences still distinguish us, apart from the color of our skin, it should never get in the way of two people who want to be with each other. GUESS WHO knows this, and has no intention of taking on the subject of interracial marriage with the same elegance and gravity that its originator had wrought. It merely shows how silly our remaining prejudices are, remnants of an ignorant past. Most of all, it just wants to make us laugh, and that it does very well.

The core of this comedy’s plot is the same as its predecessor, although races are reversed. The receiving family is black and the guest white. Since the film aims at hilarity instead of illumination, these new versioned characters also have different natures. The guest is Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher), a Wall Street trader who has just quit his job. His fiancée Theresa Jones (Zoe Saldana) has brought him to meet her folks in time to surprise them during their 25th Wedding Anniversary, by announcing their plans to marry. It goes without saying that she does not know of his employment status, and he has no intention of revealing it, since no man wants a future father-in-law to think that you’re a bum.

Percy (Bernie Mac), the Jones’s patriarch, is understandably wary of Simon, exhibiting knew-jerk rigidity upon finding that he isn’t a “brother”. But as the movie goes on, his defensiveness becomes defensible, as he finds Simon at times insincere. His wife Marilyn (Judith Scott) is more understanding, as are most movie wives when contrasted against their spouses. She wants him to be more understanding, and focus more on their upcoming renewal of vows. Sure enough, Simon’s inconsistencies pile up, putting the story on autopilot. You know where this will go.

When a movie starts becoming all too familiar, the only the thing that saves it from itself is its execution. So we know what’s coming, is it still done well? Is it funny? The answer is a resounding yes. Regardless how sitcomesque many certain seem, they're all done so well that I didn’t mind or hardly noticed. This is not the kind of movie where the highlights are sadly revealed in its trailer. It has way more laughs than advertised.

Yes we see Theresa struggle to get her lingerie off Simon and end up in kinky position when her father walks in. The setup does seem more awkward than what plays out, but you know what? I bought into it, because Ashton Kutcher is exactly the kind of guy I would expect to try something like that (all you guys out there, you know you’ve made fun of your lovers in a similar way). We see the go-cart crash Percy gets Simon into. Regardless of how manufactured it may seem, I enjoyed it, because I believe Bernie Mac is exactly the kind of father-figure who would outrageously dare a future son-in-law in that way. Whoever cast these two should get a bonus.

The movie is not all laughs, as it has moments that touch on how sensitive “mixing” still is. None more effective than at a family dinner where Simon tells one black joke too many. It’s not how offensive the joke is, it's how it occurs. Simon’s reasoning, Percy’s goading, Theresa’s understanding, and a grandfather’s fuming all ring true. What is even more refreshing is how Theresa deals with it once the dust has settled. Moments such as these are the film’s most dear.

A lot of critics have pointed out that the movie could have benefited itself more so if it had more of these genuine moments. I think doing so would have made the film another type of creature altogether, which would divert it from what it is trying to do. It isn’t trying to say that interracial dating/marriage is right, for that message has been made for some time now. It’s trying to show, in a lighthearted manner, how silly we are in still considering it an issue. Percy's rash actions are understandable, but they're ridiculous, and soon become supplanted by more important issues, such as honesty, common sense, and getting his wife to stop being mad at him.

The film’s cast has glowing chemistry. Judith Scott’s character Marilyn provides the sound judgment that Percy needs, and gives us his most satisfying comeuppances (Husbands in the audience will cringe and laugh in agreement). The beautiful Zoe Saldana, who was radiant in DRUMLINE and as the customs officer in THE TERMINAL, has that Audrey Hepburn charisma which makes her impossible not to love, and supplies the equability that compliments Ashton Kutcher’s confusion.

Ashton Kutcher is a curious fellow. He is capable of endearing goofiness (THAT 70’S SHOW) and nasty prankishness (PUNK’D). It’s obvious that it all stems from that inner kid. Thankfully, he reins in his childishness and reveals a handsome charm. His acting can be raw at times, but he successfully translates the frustration of trying to impress Percy. His reaction at seeing Percy being rebuffed by Marilyn is priceless.

Bernie Mac is the Charles Barkley of comedy. Fearless, brash and imposing, he always becomes the funniest guy in the room, whoever he’s with (Chris Rock ain’t got nuthin’ on ‘im). But as he proved in OCEAN’S ELEVEN and BAD SANTA, he knows how to command respect, as he does here. He portrays a man unsure of how to handle a situation with unmet expectations. His false worries transform into real ones once he stops worrying about race and concentrates on truthfulness. His character isn’t an insecure complainer spewing race-related tirades. He is shrewd, cautious, and protective. As Simon puts it, “He’s a good father.”

How I wish the film’s detractors had noticed that the movie doesn’t take potshots by using stereotypes. There are no collar greens or chicken jokes, no hood or homeboy remarks, no shallow tributes to its origins, and no cameos. GUESS WHO doesn’t need to explain why it’s okay for its lovers to be together. It just wants laugh at why they make it so difficult for themselves. When you see Bernie Mac doing a Lou Rawls, you just have to laugh with it.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at April 22, 2005 03:24 PM