Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

The film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was produced by Stanley Kramer in 1967.  It is a truly classic movie that portrays social issues of American society in that era.  The film succeeded in breaking the tension and conflict of interracial marriage.  The movie starts with Joanna, played by Katherine Hepburn, and Dr. John Prentice, played by Sidney Poitier, getting off a plane from Hawaii.  Dr. Prentice was in Hawaii on business and met Joanna, they fell in love and were engaged to be married.  They flew back to San Francisco to get permission from her parents.  This leads viewers to believe that they are going to watch a love story but it is actually a debate about interracial marriage.  Joanna has an optimist out look and sees nothing wrong with interracial marriage because of the way she was raised.  John on the other hand wants nothing else but to be with Joanna, though he is more skeptical to what their parents will think of the matter.  Both of their parents have the same reaction to their situation, which was also the same reaction of the society at the time.  Though they only had one day to make their decision of where they stand on the interracial marriage.  Her father Mike Drayton, is a liberal and even he had to question his beliefs.  He did not ever expect his own daughter to bring a colored man home.  Though Joanna's mother reminds him that they never said, "don't ever fall in love with a colored man".  Joanna's parents both search for a reason they should not get married besides their race, but they fail.  Dr. John Prentice character was the perfect man, he was intelligent, rich, handsome and noble.  Kramer adds one scene to this movie, which is a perfect example to this.  Mr. Drayton wanted to get away from the decision making so he went with his wife to get some ice cream.  He was hoping for the same ice cream he usually gets, but instead he got a different flavor; Oregon Boysenberry.  When he took his first bite he hated it, but then he took a few more bites and started to grow on him.  This is a perfect metaphor of his new relationship with John, he might not like it at first but soon he will agree with it.  

John's parents flew in to meet their son's new love and are shocked that she is a white girl.  The parents discuss the issue they have on their hands.  The father's views reflect the beliefs of  their generations.  John refers to his father as an Uncle Tom and says,"Your generation will always think of itself as a Negro first and a man second.  I think of myself as a man."  The mother's on the other hand notice the love in their children's eyes and think back to when they were first in love.  John's mother talks with Mr. Drayton and informs him that he is opposing the marriage because he has forgotten what it is like to be in love.  This was the first logical argument he heard all day and helped him make his decision.  

May I remind you that the movie was written only a few years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.  This movie obviously represents these social issues of the United States of that period.  Interracial marriage was still illegal in some states.  This movie spoke out to those experiencing the same issue at the at that time period.  This movie is more like a piece of history, the issues Americans have dealt with and how far we have come in the world of social change.  Through a roller coaster of emotions, the movie will make you laugh and cry.  It is a must see.  You have to find out if love will overcome prejudice.