Review of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) by Keiko N — 06 Mar 2010

I'm sure on a mainstream level, this was (and probably still is) seen as a triumphant anti-racist story, and I'm sure its intentions were good. It addresses the common hypocrisy that occurs when otherwise "not racist" people find themselves dealing head-on with personal issues of race, but I'm afraid the way it wraps up does not seem realistic, and the way it's handled is actually problematic.

What really stood out to me firstly was the patriarchal influence. Joanna is the main female protagonist, but she has no control over her own life in this story, and isn't even aware of this fact. She's depicted as constantly giddy and completely blind to reality because of love, while her male counterpart remains grounded and wise and ever-aware of their delicate situation. John decides to put her fate in the hands of her (white) parents, while failing to put any stock in what his own (black) parents think. As a result, the white male patriarch drives this entire movie about confronting and overcoming racism, which ends up looking like not much more than an attempt to ease white guilt. Nothing new there, sadly, when these kinds of stories are told by white people.

Take it for what it is, and it's watchable and enjoyable (even if only for when Poitier's character finally stands up for his relationship and shows some passion, instead of being the suspiciously ever-so-saintly, squeaky clean and acceptable "negro"), but let's look to some stories of this ilk from the non-white perspective for the real progressive messages.