“Guess Who’s coming to Dinner” is a revolutionary picture that studies mixed couples and what happens if a hardcore liberal has it happening to his family. It is very clear throughout the movie that everyone has their own opinions and very few of them change.
The mom’s of the couple both quite quickly become fond of the marriage and see the passion of John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) and Joanna Drayton. They become wrapped up in the emotion and as long as their respective child is happy.
On the other hand both fathers tend to disapprove of the marriage. They are not against marrying outside of the race. They just want to protect their children and not see them struggle. John’s father is framed more selfishly as he talks with his son about how he raised him and how much work he put in to give him a fighting chance. Me while Mr. Drayton has no issue with either party but is concerned about the ridicule the pair will face. He is also freaking out because he was given a day to make a decision.
John is thoroughly in love but does not want to risk Joanna's relationship with her parents or his relationship with his. He understands the issue and even the hesitation of the parents. Joanna on the other hand is gung ho and would be married tomorrow at the courthouse if that is what it took. She epitomizes the idealistic rich white girl who has been so sheltered from reality that she doesn’t realize the issues. It is hard to tell throughout the movie if she is naive or just so positive it is portrayed as blindness.
Throughout the movie only two characters change in a significant fashion. Beginning with John who is so conscious of how everyone else feels and what they might say that he can not be wrapped up in magic of love. He is relying on permission from authority figures in his life to approve of him his whole life. It is how he was able to achieve so much at a young age because it made his parents happy. His need for authority approval breaks when vocalized by his father. His father tells him that he has never upset them and how much he did for him. It finally clicks in his head and decides to be happy he cannot always get permission. He tells his dad off and reconfirms his love for him in the same breath.
The other character that makes significant progress is Mr. Drayton. Mr. Drayton is hard core liberal but also a very practical man. He is not against racial mixing; he is scared for his daughter and her happiness. It is a very masculine instinct to protect those that you love especially if she is as innocent and idealistic and sweet as Joanna was. His hard stance against the marriage is broken when Mrs. Prentice helps to remind him of his love for his own wife. It doesn’t change his concern about the issues but it opens his mind to memories of their love. He ends with a dramatic speech that points out the fault of all of those in the room. He come to conclusion if it is anything like how he feels and felt for Mrs. Drayton that John should marry his daughter and stop worrying about having permission.
The movie had beautiful cinematography and a realistic but compelling story that we could really sit into. We could see from the eyes of all of the characters the issue that could rise. I imagine that in its time it opened many eyes.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/guess_whos_coming_to_dinner
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