Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Although made in 1967, I was surprised how much I loved this movie, from the beginning to the end. This is a kind of a comedy I haven't seen maybe for years.

I felt the characters and the situation so alive and close to me, it is incredible. It remembered me when I had to make that first visit at a girlfriends house, meet the parents, be friendly to some completely unknown people, act as an adult, as a man, when there are four parents around... And there are scenes with a flip I will never forget, like Spencer Tracy eating his ice cream and changing his mind over it, Hilary being fired or the two fathers settling about the situation as 'the only reasonable people in the boat'.

The film also started me to think over how I would react as a parent in such a situation. Today, marriage between races is not that shocking, but I can easily imagine for my future daughter someone, who would shock me with his proposal. It easy to see others on screen struggling to break down their own walls and prejudices, but in real life it is so much harder. It is so true, what Mahatma Ghandi said - 'You must be the change you wish to see in the world'.

It's just a funny twist from life, that I've seen 'Kinsey' a few days ago, where Katharine Houghton also appears as Mrs. Spaulding, almost 40 years later (2005).

This movie became one of my favorites - 10/10.

Fmovies: After a period of vacation in Hawaii, Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine Houghton) returns to her parents' home in San Francisco bringing her fiancé, the high-qualified Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), to introduce him to her mother Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn) that owns an art gallery and her father Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) that is the publisher editor of the newspaper The Guardian. Joey was raised with a liberal education and intends to get married with Dr. John Prentice that is a black widower and needs to fly on that night to Geneva to work with the World Health Organization.

Joey invites John's parents Mr. Prentice (Roy E. Glenn Sr.) and Mrs. Prentice (Beah Richards) to have dinner with her family and the couple flies from Los Angeles to San Francisco without knowing that Joey is white. Christina invites also the liberal Monsignor Ryan (Cecil Kellaway), who is friend of her family. Along the day and night, the families discuss the problems of their son and daughter.

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is a witty dramatic comedy about interracial marriage in the racist USA in the 60's. The theatrical story has magnificent performances and dialogs and has not aged after all these years. This is the last movie of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, who is the aunt of Katharine Houghton, has never seen this movie because of the loss of her friend. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Adivinhe Quem Vem Para Jantar" ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner")

Hmmm. I'm torn about this movie but I guess overall I find it too out of balance to work as other than as an historical piece.

The things I like about it? The sound-stage version of an outrageous San Francisco home. (A bridge to bridge view from the patio, which is not to be confused with the separate garden. Filled with expensive art. If such a place existed what would it cost today? $10 million? $15 million - but when the parents go out for ice cream they drive what would be a sort of old looking small to mid-sized car. Ah, Hollywood!) Seeing Isobel Sanford in something that doesn't involve Sherman Helmsley. Katharine Hepburn going through four slightly-oddball costumes over about 9 hours of movie time. (And what is with her and her choice of hats?!?) The bizarro, off-kilter scene with the dancing delivery boy.

The things I don't like? Well first and foremost the fact that this movie is set up so as to eliminate any sense of the REAL complexities of life. Poitier's character is not just a great guy, he is a physician. Wait, no ... not just a physician but one who has been on the faculty of some of the best medical schools...AND who has devoted his career to public health AND who is internationally well-known. Gosh, you think, is there ANY white man that Joanna might ever meet who could be as well-credentialled as him? And Joanna, we are told, has always been HAPPY!!! as a baby, as a child, as a teen, in college. Why, she's just the most perfect thing. Her parents? Unabashed liberals. Generous and kind to the help (even giving a $5000 bonus to an employee being fired.) His parents? Sober and hard-working. Sacrificing for their son. Kind and loving.

Wouldn't it be nice to see at least one of the parents being SOMEWHAT unpleasant?

Kramer just sets things up in a way where there is no real tension in the movie. We know Tracy and Hepburn's characters are too good to turn into bigots and that they are such great parents that their daughter's happiness is all that will matter. They may be friends with a Catholic monseigneur (though a point is made to say at least twice that they aren't Roman Catholics, what's that about?) but he is the most liberal happy-go-lucky priest that existed in the 1960's and raises not a single objection to interracial marriage (uncharacteristic of the Irish priests I knew of from the 60s --- but maybe it's because he's so busy drinking Scotch -- if you'll excuse THAT offensive Irish stereotype in a movie about prejudice.)

The look and feel of the movie is a little odd, because of the juxtaposition of real locations (SFO, the ice cream store) with the very "faux" stage set style used in scenes like the driveway in front of the house. For a movie that is supposed to be exploring the gritty reality of racism in America, seeing someone drive a phony delivery truck past the fake plants outside the fake house seems particularly jarring and inappropriate.

And of course, everyone is rich or well-to-do. Even the retired postal worker and his wife can afford to fly up to SF on a last minute airfare (which were even less cheap back in the 1960s than they are today) and, we are assured, can afford to fly to Geneva for the wedding? So ultimately their "problems" about love and marriage seem less important, because we don't really worry that John or Joanna's lives will be seriously crippled if they don't marry --- they are both so VERY charming, successful, self-directed and fulfilled t

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner fmovies. Guess who's coming to dinner is a first class film. It focuses on the subject of interracial marriage and the challenges that can arise. Set in the 1960s, this was definitely topical.

We are treated to first class acting from Sidney Poitier who is arguable one of the greatest and most dignified actors to grace the screen. Great performances from Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn who play shocked and concerned parents. This film also focused on the important issue of walking the talk, righteous people who preach certain ways of living but we see it put to the test when they themselves are in that situation. The parents who raised a unbiased and open minded daughter must deal with her choices.

Spencer Tracey's speech to his daughter and Sidney is one of the best in film. He passes on an important message of understanding and righteousness to not just his daughter and son in law to be but the rest of America watching. A showcase of brilliant acting and messages in a film that was ahead of its time.

I feel sorry for John Seal, the reviewer above, for his views on this movie, as well as his views on interracial marriage. I think this movie is excellent, I enjoyed the performances of all the actors and the message is important. Racial prejudice was common in 1967, and the very first interracial kiss on TV was still to come (it happened in 1969 on Star Trek). People needed to hear the message this movie contains, that color and race are not something that should prevent two people who love each other from marrying. I am a white American married to a Japanese female and I am proud that our children will grow up to live in a world where people have tolerance for different cultures and beliefs. It is sad to watch Spencer Tracy in this movie, knowing he died weeks after it was made. But it was nice that he could act with Katherine Hepburn, the love of his life, so close to his death. That must have made him happy.

Marriage is all about the one you love, it does not matter the race. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, according to Stanley Kramer, he portray the interracial marriage and show the idealism of two couple difference racial. Therefore, the movie itself does not give a chance for the couple to know their love, for-example there is only one shot that shows lips of Dr. Prentice and Joanna meet together. However, in 1960s it was a period political movements of racial segregation, though it was lawful for interracial marriage. Eventually, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, came on the prep time and when the couple plan to meet there future in-laws they believe it might be difficult for the family to accept there relationship. Nevertheless, Acting was very amazing accompany by Katherine Hepburn, Tracy Spencer, Katherine Houghton and Sidney Poitier. Moreover, the movie was very successful on cultural influence and as a results of today's interracial marriage.