"Guess Who" is a comedy that presents theatergoers with a feast of tenderized humor, while looking beyond the main course. It is a modern interpretation of the controversial 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," starring Sidney Poitier.
While the meat of the film is ready-made for the masses, it is spiced with moral lessons. Racism, interracial relationships, and stereotypes are thematic side dishes served with this film in an attempt to add flavor.
However, the film fails to mix in taboo often enough to be controversial. Ultimately, the all-too-safe, conventional mixture leaves a bland aftertaste.
Of course, the plot of the film lends itself to the cooking up of this diverse, yet somewhat unsatisfying meal. Sections of sugary humor balance out some salty sadness as the movie progresses.
Simon Green, played by Ashton Kutcher ("Dude, Where's My Car?"), is a white investor who seems to do everything wrong, except when it comes to investing money. Complications at his workplace put Simon under pressure and the situation worsens when he realizes he has to meet his future in-laws.
Zoe Saldana, who plays Theresa Jones in the film, is Simon's black girlfriend and soon-to-be fianc?(c)e who comes from a traditional black family. Controversy abounds when Theresa introduces Simon to her family.
"Oh my God. Are we being audited?" asks Zoe's younger sister upon finding Simon in the house.
Percy Jones, played by Bernie Mac ("The Original Kings of Comedy," "Ocean's Eleven"), is Theresa's father. Percy is a strong-willed, successful black man, who, to put it lightly, is not happy with the idea of his daughter dating a white guy. The majority of the film is a bitter conflict of pride between Percy and Simon.
Percy explains to Simon that there is a testosterone limit in his house, and as a result, any additional men would cause the testosterone levels to exceed the maximum capacity.
However, as in reality, it is the girlfriends and wives that really call the shots in the film. Both men repeatedly have their egos ground down by their female counterparts with hilarious results.
The comedy of the film presents itself to the audience like a salad bowl full of all the various additives. Sexual innuendo, Peeping Tom humor, slapstick, positional humor and prop comedy, among others, are employed to create a non-stop rush of laughter.
Some truly vibrant aspects of the film are the backgrounds, which, like rainbow jello, gleam an extraordinary array of colors. Deep yellows, reds and blues all present the eye with a creative collage of color.
In particular, the kitchen of the Jones family's home is immaculate and wonderfully decorated with delicious colors.
In terms of straight acting performance, Bernie Mac was the meat on the bones of this film. Aided by great lines and a multitude of rib-cracking jokes, this was perhaps his strongest movie role to date.
For example, when Percy is talking to his wife about their apparently gay wedding planner, his wife tells him that the wedding planner is a straight man with taste. Percy quickly remarks back that there is no such thing and she might as well say he rode up to the house on a unicorn.
The soundtrack to the film includes a number of delicious tunes. Hip-hop beats are balanced with quirky comedic tunes. The song choices fit the scenes more or less and greatly add to the flavor of the film.
The film is a veritable banquet of colors, sounds, and comedy. The major flaw of the film was not taking the recipe to the limits. Adding those extra controversial flavors more often would have really ignited the audience's taste buds.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
