Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton, Cecil Kellaway, Beah Richards, Roy Glenn, Isabel Sanford
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1967

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A white woman (Katharine Houghton) shocks her parents (Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn) when she brings her African-American fiance (Sidney Poitier) home.

Review:

Tim: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is an important movie, there's no question about that. The question I had going into it was, "But is it a great movie?" I believe movies can be important yet not great. Fortunately, it was easy for me to answer that question. This is an important movie, but it's absolutely a great movie as well. It was obviously controversial, as it's one of the earlier films to depict interracial relationships positively. It was still a crime in many Southern states in the mid-1960s, so this was not something audiences often saw up on the screen. You have to give this movie credit for some bravery in depicting something that many Americans were still struggling with accepting. You have to believe this film helped legitimize interracial relationships in the minds of some viewers and across the culture. The film doesn't shy away from the subject matter- it tackles it head on, discussing the attitudes of many people at that time. Watching it five decades later, the sad thing is that while you notice how far we've come as a people and a society, it's also so sad knowing that many Americans still have the attitudes we see in some of the characters here. This movie shouldn't feel relevant today, but it sadly does.

This movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and it won two. Katharine Hepburn won her second Best Actress Academy Award (and she deserved it). The film was also nominated for Best Actor- Spencer Tracy, Best Supporting Actor- Cecil Kellaway, and Best Supporting Actress- Beah Richards. When a film is nominated in all four acting categories, you know you're watching something special. It's interesting to note that the great Sidney Poitier wasn't even nominated- although he could have been. Let's start with Hepburn since she won. Hepburn is easily of the greatest actresses of all time and you could easily make the case that she is the greatest. Her 2nd (of 4 total) Best Actress award comes from a remarkable performance- she's tough, yet shaken. She's bold and yet relents. She's kind and conflicted. She shows such a range of emotions in this role and every single one of them feels authentic. She's incredible and I was glad she won. I was happy Spencer Tracy was nominated, although sadly, the nomination came posthumously, as he died during filming. Tracy is truly a great actor, yet he's not one I often think of first when I think about the all-time greats. That's a shame, because he was remarkable in so many movies. His role here was fantastic- he played the role so perfectly. You understand and sympathize with his character, even when you disagree with him. His speech at the end of the movie is a highlight. Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton were good as the interracial couple. Poitier is such a talented actor. He interacted so well with the cast. I loved seeing him play off Hepburn and Tracy. Houghton was clearly a step or two below the other three main cast members, but she gives a good enough performance for it to not be an issue. I love that Cecil Kellaway was nominated for his small supporting role. He doesn't have a ton of screen time, but he makes an oversized difference. His presence is deeply felt in the movie and I was so happy the Academy recognized him. I was a little surprised Beah Richards was nominated. It felt like her performance was solid, but she didn't make quite the impression other cast members did. I was happy for the sake of diversity that she was nominated, but I can't say I was overly impressed with her performance.

The film also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The script made a huge difference here. It gave you these characters that felt authentic and identifiable. You grew to care about each one of them. The dialogue is crisp and impressive. It's memorable. The film boldly tackles a contemporary issue and it discusses it intellectually and maturely. The movie certainly deserved this award.

I thoroughly enjoyed Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. It's one of those movies that feels separate from the others from the same period. It's special, it's unique. It's not surprising that the film has withstood the test of time. It's one of the truly great movies.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Boys Town, In the Heat of the Night