Review of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) by Stuart M — 05 Jul 2015

This is a really good film dealing with a complicated issue for the 1960s, and doing so with a lot of humor and sympathy. The girl's parents are not treated as monsters or villains, and their concerns are not entirely unjustified or at least very human.

The cast is first rate too, with Spencer Tracy's liberal father who finds living up to his ideals difficult a particular highlight. Sidney Poitier is excellent too, and he provides an adorably awkward nervousness that adds comedy to what is otherwise a very self-confident role.

Where the film falls down slightly is in the end where Tracy spends about a ten minute monologue lecturing on the virtues of the couple. It was unnecessary and felt forced in terms of the drama they were trying to tell.