Guess Who? (2005)

Wow! I must be on the midnight bus because I just watched the 2005 romantic comedy, Guess Who, yesterday, and I did enjoy it.

The romcom stars comic Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher and Zoe Saldana. It explores the complexity of interracial relationships and is loosely based on the 1967 film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner which starred Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy.

The plot is pretty simple with Theresa Jones (Saldana) taking her boyfriend Simon Green (Kutcher) home for thanksgiving to meet her family. Unfortunately, Mr Jones (Mac) is not too impressed with his daughter bringing home a “pigmentally challenged” boyfriend.

The film tackles the issue in a light manner although a few decades back it was illegal for interracial marriages. However, this film is cleverly done that we laugh at the jokes and punch lines without realizing that it doesn’t matter what colour you are when it comes to love.

I’ve read critics saying it doesn’t have the political relevance compared to the original but hey – who cares? It’s comedy! And it brings out some of our darkest insecurities into the light without offending anyone.

Now, there are a number of films about interracial relationships and unfortunately, I have not watched the original. However, this one is entertaining but I wouldn’t be too analytical about it.