Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)

This is a wonderful film about a couple, Joanna and John, who met on a trip to Hawaii and fell madly in love. It takes only ten days for them to realize that they are meant for each other and decide to marry within the month. The story begins as the couple leave the airport to meet with the Joanna's family. Normally this sort of whirlwind romance is pretty understandable, if somewhat unorthodox, but John is the perfect gentleman, kind, generous, handsome, etc. and the two are very much in love. The issue with the whole arrangement is that Joanna is white and John is black. After Joanna breaks this news to her parents, she invites John's parents over to what will most likely be an already very uncomfortable dinner. The six of them, plus a family friend and the family maid, all come together and make known their views on the issue, some for, some very much against. This is all fine and well, but the problem arises John telling Joanna's parents that if he did not have their approval he would not marry her, and Joanna's father is in no hurry to consent to their marriage.

I'm not up on my history, but I would imagine that this film touched on something of a controversial issue at the time it was released. Interracial marriages have become more accepted since then, but even today there are many people who think that when looking for a life partner, one should look within their own race. And that being the case, I thought that this film handled the issue in a very progressive yet delicate way. When Joey and John told their parents that they were to marry, not one of their parents was immediately happy. Their initial reaction was a sort of uncertain political correctness and then that evolved then later evolved into an actual emotion. Both of the mothers quickly come around to sympathize with their children and approve but the fathers were adamantly against the match. We essentially watch as different characters struggle with their sense of morality. All of the people in this film lived in a society that accepted such things (thought didn't necessarily want it to happen to their children) and therefore were forced to give an initial facade of hesitant, if somewhat forced, acceptance. Only after they had time to digest the situation do their true feelings come out, and whether for or against, all of the perspectives presented are conflicted by both convention and the well fare of the young couple.

Overall this is a great film. It's both controversial and feel-good at the same time. And Sidney Poitier is great.