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Guess Who By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- "Guess Who" (Columbia) is a comedy about color, specifically black and white. Unfortunately, the impression is more like pale gray. Albeit with an abbreviated title, the movie is a loosely based updating of Stanley Kramer's 1967 groundbreaking "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," only with a race-reversing twist. In the original film, Katharine Houghton brought home fiance Sidney Poitier to meet the folks, played by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (in his final role). "Guess Who" inverts the situation and makes extremely white Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) the "pigmently challenged" house guest of prospective father-in-law Percy Jones (Bernie Mac), who had in mind a "darker" suitor for his strong-willed daughter, Theresa (Zoe Saldana). Judith Scott plays Percy's more open-minded wife. As in the earlier film, the young couple are using the visit to announce their engagement, only here the matter is made more complicated by the fact that the parents are throwing a lavish 25th wedding anniversary party on the same weekend. Simon tries valiantly to make a good impression, but his efforts have quite the opposite effect, hardening Percy's resistance. In one scene, Percy walks into an upstairs bedroom to catch Theresa and Simon in a compromising position. In quick fatherly fashion, he informs Simon that the men will be bunking together in the basement, an arrangement which provides some of the film's (too few) laughs. There is little doubt that before all is said and done the two men will bridge the racial divide. While Mac is quite funny, it goes without saying that the troika of Mac, Kutcher and Scott are no Tracy, Poitier and Hepburn. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, the film, with its love-is-colorblind message, has its moments, but most of its broad comedy falls flat, and in playing it strictly for laughs lacks the eyebrow-raising original's now-dated sense of daring and social import. The film contains some crude and profane language and sex-related humor. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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