User reviews

Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) is trying to protect his daughter Theresa (Zoe Saldana) from ending up with the wrong guy, and though he does a thorough background check on her new boyfriend Simon (Ashton Kutcher), there's only one thing his research didn't tell him. He's white and he wants to marry his daughter.

The "meeting the parents" premise has been done to death recently with Monster-in Law and Meet the Fockers being the most recent films. However, what the film lacks in originality, it makes it up with laughs. There were a lot of funny moments and the movie hardly ever got boring. However, most of the funny bits were used in the trailer and this makes the jokes a little less effective since they are already expected. Also, the repeat value of the movie is very low. It's worth watching once but that's pretty much it. I don't think that's a bad thing since most light comedies are like that.

I think the film works well because of the two leads. Both Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher give funny performances and they have nice chemistry together. Their scenes were the best and they never felt forced. Zoe Saldana also gives a good performance and she has come a long way from appearing in Crossroads. Most of the supporting actors are also funny including Judith Scott, who plays Bernie Mac's wife. Mike Epps also makes a cameo though it wasn't that good.

Kevin Rodney Sullivan directs and he only does an okay job. The first half of the film is pretty funny and the racial issues are handled lightly. During the second half, the film becomes all serious and it's kind of awkward. The director ditches the laughs for awhile and he approaches the issue in a mature manner. It kind of works but some of the serious scenes felt fake. It seemed like the actors were about to burst out laughing at any second and the film also got kind of dull. The ending was surprisingly strong though. The changes of tone in the film worked out okay but they weren't as effective as they could have been. In the end, Guess Who is worth a rental, nothing more though. Rating 7/10

Of course this movie is mostly being blasted because it was released so shortly after the success of "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers", which uses the exact some concept. Only difference with this movie is that it's about an interracial couple. But also when you look beyond this and ignore the fact that this movie is basically the interracial version of "Meet the Parents", it just isn't a great movie because for a comedy its surely lacking. Basically Bernie Mac was the only reason that I still found this movie to be an enjoyable one to watch.

Perhaps biggest problem is that the movie is too predictable. No not just with its story, I mean basically everyone already knows in advance how this movie is going to end but also comical wise the movie is too predictable. They surely didn't came up with a whole lot of original moments and because everything happens in such a predictable manner, the comedy also just doesn't always work out.

The movie could had been a better one, had it handled its subject of an interracial relationship better. That way the movie could perhaps had send out a message but it doesn't really does so now. The movie doesn't take away any stereotypes, instead it only sort of confirms them and it happily does so, in order to provide the movie with racial-typed humor. Somehow I have the feeling that it perhaps could had worked out better had the guy been black and the girl white and so her parents, who they are visiting, as was the case in the original movie this movie got based on; "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", staring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, which was also a drama rather than a comedy. Even though I haven't seen that movie yet I still am sure of it that that movie its theme worked out better, perhaps also because it was a '60's movie when interracial relationships obviously were still a bigger issue. Seriously, when I take a black girl or Asian or whatever home one of these my parents surely won't make a big issue out of it at all. So isn't this a movie a bit too outdated already with its theme and only relevant had it been made about 40 years ago? That is if the film-makers intentions were to take away the stereotypes and reluctances and intolerability of people towards interracial relationship but I have the idea that the film-makers simply dropped this idea and intentions and went for a simple full-blood comedy instead.

I haven't seen Bernie Mac in an awful lot of movies, also since he started out pretty late white his acting career but so far I have always liked him in his comical roles. He plays it serious and sarcastic rather than over-the-top funny which makes him such a great and hilarious actor in my opinion. It's also mostly his movie in my opinion and Asthon Kutcher gets pushed more to the background by him, even though Ashton Kutcher surely ain't a bad actor either, no matter what other people always say about him.

A comedy you can surely do without but when you decide to watch it you'll still be most likely lightly entertained by it.

6/10

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To take a work of pure genius (Guess Who's Coming To Dinner / Stanley Kramer 1967) and turn it into a Bernie mac, Ashton Kutcher roll reversal. I have nothing against the actors in this film... BUT! The original still stands strong as a cinematic masterpiece. Reviewing the troubled historic times past. Any comedic treatment of this classic work is nothing more than panhandling.

You can rent or buy the original for under $10. Sydney Portier was and is his generation. Don't be fooled, This series of remakes being spit out by the studios are simply because they already have the rights to the films and they will be the only ones making money. But the best question is what will they remake in 20 years from now.

Don't buy any of it!

In New York, the Afro-American Theresa Jones (Zoë Saldaña) goes to the suburb of New Jersey with her Caucasian boy-friend Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) for the renewal of the vows of her parents after twenty-five years marriage. Her father, the racist banker Percy Jones (Bernie Mac), does not accept the white Simon and does not give a break to Simon. In the end, love is beautiful, and all the family problems are fixed.

Although having the theme "visiting the family", which is very explored in comedies by Hollywood, the beginning of "Guess Who" is funny, with many hilarious racist situations. I laughed a lot, for example, with the confusion of Percy with the cab driver in the arrival of Simon to his house; or with the stupid dialogs of Simon with Percy, making the situations worse and worse. There are some jokes at the grandfather's dinner table that I did not understand (for example, the joke with the "ho" sister). Bernie Mac is simply perfect in the role of a very racist black man, and Aston Kutcher is very good in the role of an impulsive young guy that does not think before speaking. Indeed his character is too much silly to be a good and disputed professional in business. Unfortunately, in a certain moment the story become boring and corny, certainly for commercial interests in order to have a politically correct conclusion. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Família da Noiva" ("The Family of the Bride")

When it was released in 1967, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was acclaimed as a "breakthrough" film for its lighthearted, yet serious, depiction of an interracial romance. In the years since, society has moved so far in the direction of acceptance of so-called "mixed marriages" that any remake is bound to feel, at least to some extent, superfluous and anachronistic. And that is exactly the case with "Guess Who," a 2005 update whose abbreviated title is only the first of the many changes the filmmakers have rung on the Stanley Kramer original.

The screenwriters' first alteration involves switching the race roles, so that it is now a black family having to accept a white male as a prospective in-law rather than the other way around. Bernie Mac assumes the Spencer Tracy role as the father whose world is turned upside down when his beloved daughter brings a Caucasian boyfriend (Ashton Kutcher as a white Sidney Poitier) home to meet the family. On the distaff side, we have Judith Scott taking over for Katherine Hepburn as the understanding mother and Zoe Saldana replacing Katherine Houghton as the freethinking daughter.

Since interracial marriage is no longer the hot-button issue it once was, the filmmakers have been forced to inject a number of other non-race-related plot complications into the mix to develop and maintain the conflict and drama. Thus, we have Kutcher trying to hide the fact from both his fiancé and her family that he has recently quit his high-paying job at a prestigious firm and that he may, in fact, be the target of a securities-and-exchange commission probe. Indeed, with Kutcher spending most of his time trying to win over his critical and overbearing future father-in-law, "Guess Who" feels more like a remake of "Meet the Parents" than of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." The real problem with "Guess Who" is that it rarely has the courage of its convictions. Having decided to tackle a relatively dicey topic, the film too often drops the issue in favor of scenes that wouldn't pass muster even on a third-rate sitcom. For every scene that is incisive and daring - i.e. Kutcher telling a series of black jokes at the family dinner table - there is another that is pure Hollywood hokum (Mac and Kutcher sleeping in the same bed together, Mac and Kutcher having a go-cart race to determine who has the higher testosterone level and the greater machismo, etc.).

All of the performers are fine, especially Mac and Kutcher in the lead roles. However, they just haven't been given very sophisticated material to work with here. "Guess Who" might have been a better film had it aimed more for genuine, hard-edged satire and less for lowbrow slapstick and predictable romantic comedy sentimentality.

Still, it's been 38 years since "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" first shocked the nation with its in-your-face defiance of miscegenation laws, and the world has since moved on to other issues of social injustice and marital definition. Which is why, in the year 2005, "Brokeback Mountain" was a breakthrough film and "Guess Who" was not.

The concept of interracial couples isn't the easiest of topics to touch upon. Some individuals are open to idea and think it's a beautiful thing, while others think it shouldn't exist. It really all depends on how one is raised as a child. No one is born prejudice against anyone else, nor should anyone ever be taught to be that way. Unfortunately, the past is a hard thing to let go of. Thankfully though, in movie history, there have been films that break down these walls and expose to viewers this controversial topic.

Simon (Ashton Kutcher), a Caucasian male and Theresa (Zoe Saldana), an African American female are an interracial couple. After being together for so long, they felt it was time for Simon to meet Theresa's family. To Simon's dismay, Theresa tells him that she did not tell her family, her father Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) especially, that he was Caucasian. And it's at this point where things get interesting and a tad dangerous. The film is comedic which is good, but this is also its flaw. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), the original film that this film is based on, shows a few similarities but there's hunk of important material that was left out. The seriousness of the issue.

Nowadays interracial couples are much more accepted into society than it has ever been before, but the way this topic is treated is slight bit overblown. Out of the three writers, the best one to handle the screenplay should have been Peter Tolan. David Ronn and Jay Scherick have the reputation of writing comedy driven screenplays that weigh heavily on one gag. It's not to say the comedy doesn't work but with a lack of seriousness in its tone, this topic could become a stereotype of itself. When it fact, the whole point of the film is to break down those stereotypes - not to reinforce it. That's the disappointing thing about this movie.

Everything else about the movie works well though. Ashton Kutcher and Zoe Saldana make a convincing interracial couple and Bernie Mac is good choice for an overprotective father. Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac show the required chemistry to be likable on screen too. In fact Bernie Mac is the actor who carried around a lot of the weight in the film. The supporting cast also helps drive comedy and contains some of their own unique scenes. I enjoyed the small tracks that composer John Murphy installed into most the scenes. They were light, goofy, and it added to the overall tone. I enjoyed it. It has a good cast and fun laughs. I'm just curious if viewers prefer the realistic or comedic tone.

Although the seriousness in tone is dropped, the comedy works well thanks to Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac's chemistry. However, the film does flip flop between realistic and stereotypical.

It wasn't horrible, don't get me wrong. However, if you are going out to see a good romantic-comedy type movie I would suggest something else. Hitch for example. 'Hitch' is everything this movie is not. It is funny, fast paced, with great chemistry between actors, and a good leading male in Will Smith. 'Guess Who' however was incredibly predictable and slow moving at times. While there were a lot of "funny" parts in the movie, there was nothing in it that I laughed out loud at. The jokes were forced out for the most part, and the actors looked like they were going through the motions. There didn't seem to be much chemistry between the the leading male and female in this. At no point did I feel I was looking at real characters. I just felt I was seeing Bernie Mac playing the role of the father, and Ashton playing the 'boyfriend'. Ashton was silly while trying to be funny, which is his style and personality. But he was unconvincing and awkward while trying to be serious. Ashton is just in over his head with this kind of acting. He was in his element with the show 'Punked', and 'Dude Where's my Car?'.

In short, this is one I would suggest waiting to see on video. If you were thinking of a good evening out, I would suggest Hitch or go with a totally different genre of movie.

Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac are a wonderful comedic team

Never intended to see this film but didn't want to disappoint my friends. Went in with extremely low expectations and was absolutely right. The movie is very predictable with the formula we have seen thousands of times before. A nice black girl brings home a white guy to meet her parents. Ashton Kutcher plays the part of the boyfriend Simon Green. Don't get me wrong but does anyone else think that Ashton Kutcher cannot act? Every time I see him in a film, he seems to portray very similar characters. I never felt any chemistry between him and his girlfriend. Bernie Mac who plays an overprotective father goes out of his ways not to like Simon from the start. The jokes are not very funny and at times offensive. Supposedly, this was a remake of a 1967 movie "Guess who is coming to dinner". I cannot comment on the original movie since I have not seen it but I sure hope it was a much better film. 3/10 for me.

And it's still funny and romantic. Bernie Mac, Ashton kutcher and Zoë Zaldaña had a great chemistry in the screen.

While I am still trying to catch up on the movies I missed last year, I was also celebrating 28 years of marriage to the same woman. I mean I am a guy that can't not smoke for 28 minutes; who can't stay on a diet for 28 days; well, you get the idea. 28 years is a long time and I don't know how I managed to do it.

Anyway, I selected Guess Who. Now, I cannot imagine what made me think that anyone could remake a movie that starred Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn; much less one starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. The trick is that you have to not compare the actors and just enjoy the movie. It was an enjoyable update of the previous classic, and it had some great moments, especially when they were talking about being complete: "That's just it, she's everything I'm not. You know, she's my other half. Without her I'm not whole. You know the thing about meeting your other half is you're walking around, you think you're happy, you think you're whole, then you realize you ain't sh*t without her. Then you can't go back to being just a half 'cause you know what it's like to be whole." Yes, that's what 28 years is all about.

Not funny, pretty damn silly, totally unbelievable, absolutely predictable, pathetic stereotyping and a real waste of 106 minutes. There is not really much else to add. I sat through the whole film with my arms crossed and feeling very uncomfortable. I found it agonizing to watch Bernie Mac's character, there was nothing endearing to him at all. Ashton Kutcher was the same although a bit more ganglier. All I wanted to do was jump into the television set and give them both a kick in the pants. The script was bland, the acting was bordering on vaudeville and the storyline was handled with no tact at all. There is absolutely and totally NO comparison to "Guess who's coming to dinner". Don't bother with this film.

You're right euroman1970: Ashton can't act his way out of a paper bag. He should have never been able to pursue a career after "That 70's Show". Bernie tries to carry the weight of the movie on his shoulders, but it is too much. The movie has its funny moments, but I didn't feel any chemistry between Bernie and Ashton; almost as if they were walking through their lines. In the taxi scene Ashton looks right into the camera! What a sloppy actor! The plot is also in need of some serious repair. I wish I could have paused the movie in the theater so I could announce what was going to happen next.

Overall, I give it a 3/10.

I watched this movie expecting a light-hearted comedy. I enjoyed the additional complexity added to the characters played by Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. Both actors did an excellent job in their roles, playing the characters realistically rather than over-the-top. Mac and Kutcher are definitely the highlight of this film.

This film addresses the issue of race, particularly the interaction between whites and blacks in the U.S. Such is an inflammatory topic and the filmmakers deserve credit for tackling the topic without partisanship. It is played for comedic effect at times but ultimately is treated with respect.

But I was disappointed that the female characters in the film were written as manipulative and deceptive. Whereas the arc involving Bernie Mac shows a man struggling to come to grips with the conflict between his love for his daughter and his feelings on race, the female characters are shown as conniving and inauthentic. This surprisingly misogynistic message clashes with the tone of the film.

I never saw a movie like this. How original! This movie will create a brand new genre of movie. We will now call it "interracial buddy" movie. Imagine the concept we will put a white guy and a black guy together. Yes, that's right! Two different races will be put together in one movie. Guess what? The movie will start with each other hating each other, mostly hating each other based on skin color. By the end of the movie they will become buddies. They will learn that no matter what the skin color, the other is human, just like them. Oh what a celebration of diversity this is. I could never imagine Hollywood making a movie like this. All I have to say is WOW! Now let me stop kidding around, because I guarantee people will respond "Is he serious?" I hate this tired formula. I want to see a movie where two men of different races are put together, and they hate each other in the beginning all the way to the end. I think that is why "Do the Right Thing" was so successful. The climax of that movie was intolerability toward ethnic diversity. The movie climaxed into an explosion of differences. I like the idea of a movie pointing out that diversity leads to trouble. Why do we have to accept diversity in America? I don't want to. I am very ethnocentric. I know it's wrong, (according to American society), but I feel like I should have the right to have opinions and thoughts, even if they contradict what is perceived as correct.

I know this is only a damn movie, and I am taking it way too serious. I think what triggered this rant is the lame formula and thoughts of double standards. If a white boy is brought home to meet a girlfriend's black parents, it's a comedy, (yuck up the differences). If a black boy is brought home to meet a girlfriend's white parents, it's a drama (condemning bigotry and prejudice). More than anything, I think I am just sick of formulaic Hollywood movies dealing with white and black people.

It's quite good. Of course, it wasn't the best or even near good comedy but it wasn't bad. It had some outstanding scenes and it made this movie somehow interesting to watch, I like that Kutcher was in this film. Nostalgic, maybe even classic now.

Even copying other two great successful movies (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Meet the parents)this one is really pathetic. All gags are old. Every situation is predictable. Characters are banal. An easy way to try to create a nice (which nice is totally not in this case) humor about the natural racial preventions which every race still fill in front of other races (unfortunately). This movie sometimes makes you laugh, most of the time is stupid and pathetic. Technically this movie is very cheap (many directors of comedy genre does not take care of a good cinematography etc). Watch the DVD in your living room with your most ignorant friends and save some dollar. To go to the theater and watch this garbage is time wasted. 3/10.

So no it's not the best movie in the world and personally I don't think they claimed it to be. I don't also think they were actually trying (though I could be wrong) to fully remake the original "Guess who's coming to dinner". I think it was more of an inspiration. I think if people are going to go off and compare a movie then they don't need to watch it. Typically a remake isn't going to be as good as the original in most peoples eyes. Like many I found the movie predictable (like most) but I personally did find it funny! Its one of those movies that is fun to sit and watch with your friends :). I think it does have a good message as well. It's like a lot of movies, all movies have stemmed from something. Most romantics, dramas, action movies are all about the same, and typically end the same but yet we still watch them! I would say if you are an easy going person, you have a good sense of humor, you are not looking for some award academy winning film, just some fun watching a movie then this is the flick for you. If you are looking for something that is just blow your socks off funny then you might want to look else where.

Or Guess What Could Be Career Sucide For Ashton Kuthcer. It is clear that he cannot act, he is just a personality, he is not famous for his acting, It is his presence in the film. But his performance in this film was about has annoying as his performance in Cheaper By The Dozen. And the women seem to get immense pleasure making a fool out of the Bernie Mac character, even Judith Scott,the woman playing his wife in the film. And now I wished Queen Latifah would have come out, and kicked all there butts. I feel bad for Bernie Mac, he really is the only who is funny, but his effort comes up short, as the story just get really lame has it goes on. I can't really comment on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, cause I didn't see it. But I'm sure it was a better film, then this remake/spoof. This movie was about as annoying as Paris Hilton. I'd probably go crazy if had to sit through this movie again.

'Guess Who' is a good reflection of the changes in society since the Sydney Portier version was made many decades ago. Ashton Kutcher is an underrated comedic actor, who despite his good looks, can still be quite goofy and amusing. The movie raises good points about reverse racism, people's continuing prejudices and the pressures society puts on 'mixed-race' couples. I think the director and writers found a happy medium that allowed issues to be raised while at the same time keeping the movie light-hearted, funny and entertaining. If you are looking for something meaningful and entertaining at the same time, with a touch of romance and some eye candy, this is the movie for you!

It's a good Rom-Com to spend time.Relax and watch.Thats all

This movie had a lot of potential, but even if it was good it would have been a straight up rip-off of the hit comedy Meet The Parents, except with the black/white thing added.

Oh, and I forgot to mention it's not near as funny. There are a few chuckles here and there, but otherwise it fails to even make you smile. Kutcher is off his game, and Bernie Mac's bulging eyes are more frightening than they are funny. And the race thing was turned into a huge deal in this movie, and it actually became the focus of the film for a good matter of time. I was surprised. The movie will go from comedy to portraying racial issues in society. It's an awkward movie and at times you simply won't feel comfortable in your seat. It was really unnecessary.

It wasn't the worst movie of all time, but it was between that and average. I wouldn't recommend this movie for anyone. 3/10