nycritic Review of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Spencer and Kate, One Last Time

[10/10 · 7 February 2006]

People have, over the years, accused this film of making Sidney Poitier's character so flawless beyond a reasonable doubt that there would be no other way to accept his impending marriage (in the movie) to Katharine Houghton without making it a racial issue. The thing is, most people forget -- had Poitier been just a regular guy who had a less than stellar job, and been less than beautiful, this story would have ended up in the recycling bin. Just as gay people or Hispanics today, in order to create positive stories about themselves, have to idealize their characters to a god-like level, the same thing had to be done back then. And it was also appropriate to have not one, but two confrontation scenes: one with Poitier and Roy Glenn -- father and son -- and one with Beah Richards and Spencer, more subtle but equally poignant. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER is a film that resonated back then despite its deadline plot and tidy ending because it came at the right time and needed a positive resolution. I doubt audiences back then would respond to any other. Although it would not shock me if people then would be thinking Hollywood had finally lost its edge with this one. It was a keen decision to have Kate and Spencer be the leads because in doing so they were assuring not only box-office draw -- people would be returning to watch their favorite unmarried couple bicker, lovingly, yet again -- but a strong statement. After all, these two have the biggest subtext in the entire film: they had had their own iconoclastic relationship, it was coming to a close, and one only had to see Kate's expression just to a side of Spence's shoulder as he gave his closing speech. She was sitting at the right of the screen, her eyes glistening with tears, feeling the time was close, knowing just how much they loved each other even to the end. On this element only -- the final, lingering shot of Kate and Spence embracing each other, getting ready for dinner and an uneasy future, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER is perfect.