Guess Who (2005)

A young woman, Theresa, brings her boyfriend, Simon, home to meet her parents and surprise them with the news of their engagement. Another surprise: Simon is white.

Director:

Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Writers:

William Rose (motion picture "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), David Ronn (story)

Stars:

Ashton Kutcher, Bernie Mac, Zoe Saldana

16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bernie Mac	...	Percy Jones
Ashton Kutcher	...	Simon Green
Zoe Saldana	...	Theresa Jones (as Zoë Saldaña)
Judith Scott	...	Marilyn Jones
Hal Williams	...	Howard Jones
Kellee Stewart	...	Keisha Jones
Robert Curtis Brown	...	Dante
RonReaco Lee	...	Reggie (as Ronreaco Lee)
Paula Newsome	...	Darlene
Phil Reeves	...	Fred
Sherri Shepherd	...	Sydney
Nicole Sullivan	...	Liz Klein
Jessica Cauffiel	...	Polly
JoNell Kennedy	...	Winnie (as Jonell Kennedy)
Niecy Nash	...	Naomi

Storyline

Percy and Marilyn are renewing their vows for their anniversary, and their daughter Theresa brings her boyfriend Simon for them to meet. Unbeknownst to her parents, the kids plan to announce their engagement during the weekend. The Jones family is Black; Theresa neglects to tell them Simon is White. Race complicates Percy's general mistrust of any boyfriend, so he instigates an investigation of Simon, discovering he's recently lost his job and hasn't told Theresa. Mistrust rears its ugly head, and in the process of Theresa and Simon's argument, Marilyn and Percy fall out. What can the men do to cross the divide between each other and between men and women? Will anyone be exchanging vows?

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Plot Keywords:

engagement | argument | family relationships | embarrassment | white male black female relationship | 

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Taglines:

Some in-laws were made to be broken.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dinner Party

Filming Locations:

500 N Almansor St, Alhambra, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,671,446, 27 March 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$68,915,888

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,075,949

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Regency Enterprises,3 Arts Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roles are reversed in this unofficial remake : an African-American woman introduces her parents to her white boyfriend here, while it was a white woman introducing her African-American boyfriend in the original movie.

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Goofs

Even though the studio spent $100,000 to digitally remove Ashton Kutcher's red Kabbalah bracelet, it can still be clearly seen when he is drinking coffee in the "breakfast scene."

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Quotes

Simon Green: [after telling black joke and family laughing] What are three things a black guy can't get? A black eye, a fat lip and a job.
[laughing stops]
Howard Jones: I tell ya I'm gonna kick that boy's ass!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits lists all names with no spaces, but with different fonts for given names and surnames.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: My Baby Is Black! (2013)

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Soundtracks

Papa Don't Take No Mess
(1974)
Written by Charles Bobbitt, James Brown, John Starks and Fred Wesley
Performed by James Brown
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Pleasant surprise

First of all, I am not a fan of Bernie Mack and certainly not of Ashton Kutcher, but I liked this movie.

While the movie is certainly predictable, it has its humorous moments. Although Bernie Mack plays a little overly protective father, he does not over play it to the point that it is just a ridiculous caricature. Ashton Kuetcher has a good haircut and looks like a nice clean cut male, not the long haired goof-ball we usually see.

My favorite scene was the one at the dinner table. Not to give anything away, there were racist comments and racist jokes, but in good taste and fun. That scene shows that both sides can be racist in their own rights but still enjoy a good joke when it is truly funny.

While not the masterpiece that "Look Who's Coming to Dinner" was, it was a whole lot more fun to watch.

This is you typical formula romantic comedy, but it is heavier on comedy than romance.