Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Movie Review

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

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Written by: William Rose
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton
Rated: Approved [PG-13]
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Plot
A white couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her black fiancé.

Verdict
It's a touching movie about a new couple dealing with real issues, several of them. The parents only complicate the matter. I can't imagine what people thought when this released. Even now this resonates as a couple with different childhoods and pasts can make their chances difficult. They have to win over their parents who have a myriad of concerns about the present and future. There's no way not to like Poitier in the role, and that's by design. Ultimately the parents believe in their children.
Watch It.

Review
Only six months before the film's release due to the Supreme Court's ruling in Loving vs Virginia were interracial marriage bans struck down in seventeen states that still enforced the law.

It's not just that Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) and Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton) are an interracial couple, but this movie came out in the 60s. This is just a couple years removed from discrimination and segregation being state sanctioned.

Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton play John Prentice, Joanna Drayton

John is worried her parents won't accept him. He's also worried his parents won't accept her. Neither have told their parents about their race, but Joanna is confident her parents won't have an issue. Surprisingly, Joanna's family maid doesn't agree with  it, irritated that a black man is stepping above his place according to her.

The only possible concern one could have with John is his race. He's a doctor, respectful, and kind. While her parents are surprised, and they want to be accepting, we know they only have reservations. Her father is concerned about the  resistance they'll face. John tells her parents privately that if they don't expressly bless the marriage, he won't go through with it. That's how much he cares for Joanna. He doesn't want to create strife in her life.

Poitier is great. His character's honesty is comedic. He freely admits they haven't known each other long and haven't thought this through.

Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy play Christina, Matt Drayton

Joanna invites John's parents to dinner as well. Just as her parents were shocked to meet him, his are shocked to meet her. With all four parents, there's a lot of contention. Soon both mothers are for it, but both fathers are concerned. They look at it practically. This relationship would attract a lot of attention, but John is willing to comply with the terms he set. He needs full approval.

John and his dad face generational differences. John tells his father he doesn't owe him anything. While John's father sees himself as a black man, John wants to consider himself just as a man.

The movie also deals with expectations; Joanna's parents expectations of someone her age or background, and neither John nor Joanna expecting to fall for the person they did. Part of the parents concern is the difficulty they'll face, but Joanna's father delivers a heartwarming speech about "these two wonderful people." While they will face problems, he knows they'll overcome it. The decision ultimately belongs to them.