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Rating: 4.25 out of 5
I recently watched Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. It brought up those warm and gooey feelings because I was in an interracial relationship back in college. She was white and fantastic person. It was sometimes hard navigating through the landscape with our relationship. Being in an interracial relationship is a beautiful, but interesting dynamic one goes through. You learn a lot from being in one.
Directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a romantic comedy about interracial marriage and coming to terms with it. The film begins with the arrival of Joanna “Joey” Drayton (Houghton) and her fiancé Dr. John Prentice (Poitier), from a vacation in Hawaii. Joey wants to introduce John to her loving parents. Her mom, Christina Drayton (Hepburn), owns an art gallery. Her father, Matt Drayton (Tracy), is the publisher-editor of the newspaper. Joey is a free-thinking white woman who was raised not to see color, and John is a black widower and high-profile doctor. Joey invited John and his parents to have dinner with her family before the couple flies off to their next destination. Both families’ beliefs are tested throughout the day in ways they never knew. Can that thing called love prevail?
Honestly, this film should be commended, and I absolutely loved every minute of it for personal reasons described above. What the film does so well is explore the fact of what it means to be in an interracial relationship. When those lines are crossed and love blossoms. The film explores how people are surprised with color and sometimes don’t want to admit that race is a factor when decisions and even body language are examined.
I will say that a few things seemed off and somewhat damper the film just a tad bit. For one, the age difference between John and Joey didn’t really do it for me. He is a well-established doctor who has to be in his early to late-thirties, and she is only in her twenties. I mean, age shouldn’t matter sometimes, but damn, man! That is going a little young. The second is the way they met. Joey states she only met Sidney ten days ago while in Hawaii. They both met and fell in love with each other in twenty minutes. Come on now. I got shirts older than twenty minutes. Also, I loved Eva Green the first minute I saw her in Casino Royale. That doesn’t mean I’m trying to marry her. Side note: Hey Ms. Green. I would love to take you out to a nice dinner and a game of minigolf.
Now that we got the bad out of the way, which wasn’t a lot, let’s talk about why this film is excellent and funny on so many levels. The first thing that will be noticed is everyone’s reaction towards Joey and John. The first is when Christina meets John. When Christina sees John, her face tells it all. It is a look of shock as she stutters her words and just says she is pleased to meet him. She looks like she is about to faint. When Matt comes home, Matilda says all hell done broke loose. Matt seems clueless as he wants to play golf. When Joey states that John will stay for dinner, the moment of realization hits, and he asks what the hell is going on. That is when the story of both John and Joey comes out, and neither parent can seem to take the news.
The whole movie is a realization that these two races come together, and people’s morals and norms come to the forefront. Even though Joey’s parents are liberal and raised Joey to see past color, they have some resistance to this. One scene that showed this was when John asked Joey’s parents for permission to marry Joey. Matt calls and requests information on John while explaining how they can’t believe this is happening. John takes a moment with Matt and Christina and states that he doesn’t want any special problems. He states that there won’t be a marriage unless he has their full support. He somewhat gives an ultimatum and says that their attitude is the problem and pretty much lays it out. After John leaves, Christina explains that the way they raised Joey is how they should be. They taught her not to see race and that whites are not superior to blacks, adding that love isn’t off the board either. You go, Christina.
Yet, the one who has the biggest problem is Matt. He seems to not be able to wrap his head around it. What somewhat helps him is when Monsignor Mike Ryan rolls through and thinks it is a beautiful and loving thing. Things come ahead towards the end when John’s parents come to dinner. John gets into a major argument with his dad while John’s mother talks with Christina about what is going on. I love how the movie ends with Matt coming to terms with everything is a lovely and eloquent speech.
Now some scenes stand out the most in this film. First is when Christina straight tells Hilliary off in one of the most professional manners possible. When Christina sees that Hilary is being rude, straight up nosey, and racist as she comes over to her house unannounced, Christina takes matters into her own hands. Hilary kept saying she was so sorry and utterly shocked and didn’t understand how Joey could do something like this. Christina gracefully escorts Hilary to her car and gives her exact instruction on how she is being fired. It is a thing of beauty!!
Another scene that is truly AMAZING in this film is when Mrs. Matilda Banks, the housekeeper, tells off John. She straight-up speaks her mind and lets John have it in more ways than one. From the minute John walked through the door, Matilda couldn’t stand his ass. When she found the perfect opportunity, she struck and let him know how she was feeling in an all-time classic telling off. My own butt cheeks hurt after being chewed out like that.
Let’s take a really quick second to talk about the music. The song that was used was “The Glory of Love.” It plays at the beginning of the film and then again when John and Joey go to a club for a drink to meet with Joey’s friend Joanna and her husband. While at the club, a jazz singer, Jacqueline Fontaine, is singing the song. The song is perfect for this film as it embodies the whole movie. Love should conquer all.
Now the best of this whole film is by far the cast. The cast is excellent in this film. As for the men in this film, first, Spencer Tracy as Matt Drayton was wonderful. I want to say that I think Carl from Up is modeled after Tracy. Now, Tracy played Matt as a man whose world is turned upside down as his loving daughter is marrying someone outside the race. Even though he is liberal, he can’t come to grips with it as his mind is in conflict. Love Tracey in this role. Sidney Poitier as Dr. John Wade Prentice was good. I feel like his character was out of the norm, as he seemed perfect in every way. He was a doctor who had the highest of qualities and achievements. When he talked to his dad, he went Mr. Tibbs mode. Finally, Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Mike Ryan was excellent. He seemed to be a voice of reason for everyone and didn’t care if race was a factor. I loved his character, and he had that warming smile.
Now for the extraordinary ladies of this film. First, Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton was genuinely excellent, and I loved the way she told off Hilary. I have watched many movies with Katherine Hepburn, and I see why she is considered the GOAT of acting. Homegirl can act! Katharine Houghton as Joanna “Joey” Drayton was a delight to see. Sometimes I think she was naive, as she didn’t care about race. I will say that you are only twenty and should slow down and enjoy life, homegirl. Beah Richards as Mrs. Mary Prentice was okay. Her role really didn’t stand out to me, and I really don’t know how she garnered an Academy Award nomination. She was the sweet mother who spoke softly, but she didn’t wow me. Isabel Sanford as Tillie was the one who should’ve garnered an Academy Award. She was AWESOME in her role and really stood out from all the other cast.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is one of the few films of the time to depict an interracial marriage/relationship in a positive light. In the past, interracial marriage was historically illegal in many states of the United States. This film showed love, was funny and a joy to watch. Tracey, Hepburn, Poitier, and everyone else were excellent in this film. One shouldn’t look at race and think of the person. Now it almost seems common for an interracial relationship in many states. This time, invite everyone over to dinner and share many laughs.
