GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - 1967

RATING - NR but probably PG for language and adult themes.

RATED - 118 Amazon (4.5/5), 7,545 IMBD (7.7/10), 386,582 Netflix (3.9/5), Roger Ebert (4/4)

STARRING - Sidney Poitier, Katherine Houghton, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn.

THEME - Racial prejudice.

AWARDS - 2 Academy Awards (Best Actress & Original Screenplay) plus 6 Academy Award nominations, AFI Top 100 Passions, AFI Top 100 Movies, 1969 BAFTA Best Actress & Actor (Hepburn & Tracy).

STORY - The film begins with Joey Drayton (Houghton) and Dr. John Prentice (Poitier) arriving at San Francisco Int'l Airport and we soon learn that after meeting 10 days ago in Hawaii and falling head over heels in love they are going to inform Joey's parents (Hepburn & Tracy) of their plans to be married and ask for their blessing. The problem, of course, is that John is African-American. A perfect son-in-law in every possible way, Joey is absolutely positive her wealthy, liberal (progressive) parents will wholeheartedly endorse their 'mixed' marriage. Wrong!! Being progressive was fine as long as it was someone else's life that was affected. Can the Draytons reconcile their values and the values they raised Joey to live by and the real-life situation at hand? To complicate matters, John is leaving the country that evening and has told them privately, he will cancel the marriage plans if they do not unreservedly support their marriage before he leaves. Many, if not most, of you are familiar with the story. It was shocking at the time. No black man had ever kissed a white woman on the 'big screen'. There were 16 states with laws on the books that made interracial marriages illegal. Stanly Kramer was indeed making a social statement with this movie. As a Jewish man, he knew prejudice first hand. As a result of this movie the laws were changed in all 16 states. Do movies influence culture?? Remember GIDEON'S TRUMPET. Watch this movie for what it was-a statement about racial prejudice but also ask yourself where are the injustices today that need to be fixed? How can we become part of the solution? A great movie then and still today. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 2/17/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, ROGER EBERT