Not having a clue about what this film was about, and for lack of better films on cable, we decided to check "Guess Who". Then, it dawned on us this was a remake of Stanley Kramer's 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Both films use the William Rose original premise about a prospective son-in-law that is being brought by a daughter so her parents can meet the young man. Everything has been reversed for this occasion. While Sidney Poitier was the black fiancé, in this new version, it's Ashton Kutcher, a white man, who is the odd man out.

Most of the comments in this forum are downright negative. We don't think the creators of the film wanted to capitalize on the original model, or even to imitate another recent movie of the same theme, "Meet the Parents", this was just a vehicle in which to showcase the talents of Mr. Kutcher and that funny man, Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan.

That said, the film, although predictable has some good moments. Both Mr. Mac and Mr. Kutcher show an affinity for the roles they are playing and both are good together. Best moment in the film has to be the home dinner sequence where the Jones family is sharing the meal with Simon and he starts with his ethnic jokes about blacks. This would have been something no film would have dared to show because Hollywood would not dare offend Afro-Americans in this climate of affirmative action, and they wouldn't dare to get Rev. Jackson, or Rev. Al Sharpton to have them boycott the movie.

Aside from Bernie Mac and Anton Kutcher, the lovely Zoe Saldana is seen as Theresa, the daughter who is living with Simon, and comes home to be made aware of her parent's unease caused because of the ethnic background of the boyfriend. Judith Scott, a beautiful actress that should be seen more often, plays Marilyn, the understanding mother. Hal Williams and Kellee Stewart, are seen as the other members of the Jones family.

Just enjoy the film for what it is, as comparisons are always unfair. Who would not like to see Bernie Mac and Anton Kutcher rehearsing the tango late one night on the patio?

The concept of interracial couples isn't the easiest of topics to touch upon. Some individuals are open to idea and think it's a beautiful thing, while others think it shouldn't exist. It really all depends on how one is raised as a child. No one is born prejudice against anyone else, nor should anyone ever be taught to be that way. Unfortunately, the past is a hard thing to let go of. Thankfully though, in movie history, there have been films that break down these walls and expose to viewers this controversial topic.

Simon (Ashton Kutcher), a Caucasian male and Theresa (Zoe Saldana), an African American female are an interracial couple. After being together for so long, they felt it was time for Simon to meet Theresa's family. To Simon's dismay, Theresa tells him that she did not tell her family, her father Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) especially, that he was Caucasian. And it's at this point where things get interesting and a tad dangerous. The film is comedic which is good, but this is also its flaw. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), the original film that this film is based on, shows a few similarities but there's hunk of important material that was left out. The seriousness of the issue.

Nowadays interracial couples are much more accepted into society than it has ever been before, but the way this topic is treated is slight bit overblown. Out of the three writers, the best one to handle the screenplay should have been Peter Tolan. David Ronn and Jay Scherick have the reputation of writing comedy driven screenplays that weigh heavily on one gag. It's not to say the comedy doesn't work but with a lack of seriousness in its tone, this topic could become a stereotype of itself. When it fact, the whole point of the film is to break down those stereotypes - not to reinforce it. That's the disappointing thing about this movie.

Everything else about the movie works well though. Ashton Kutcher and Zoe Saldana make a convincing interracial couple and Bernie Mac is good choice for an overprotective father. Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac show the required chemistry to be likable on screen too. In fact Bernie Mac is the actor who carried around a lot of the weight in the film. The supporting cast also helps drive comedy and contains some of their own unique scenes. I enjoyed the small tracks that composer John Murphy installed into most the scenes. They were light, goofy, and it added to the overall tone. I enjoyed it. It has a good cast and fun laughs. I'm just curious if viewers prefer the realistic or comedic tone.

Although the seriousness in tone is dropped, the comedy works well thanks to Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac's chemistry. However, the film does flip flop between realistic and stereotypical.

In New York, the Afro-American Theresa Jones (Zoë Saldaña) goes to the suburb of New Jersey with her Caucasian boy-friend Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) for the renewal of the vows of her parents after twenty-five years marriage. Her father, the racist banker Percy Jones (Bernie Mac), does not accept the white Simon and does not give a break to Simon. In the end, love is beautiful, and all the family problems are fixed.

Although having the theme "visiting the family", which is very explored in comedies by Hollywood, the beginning of "Guess Who" is funny, with many hilarious racist situations. I laughed a lot, for example, with the confusion of Percy with the cab driver in the arrival of Simon to his house; or with the stupid dialogs of Simon with Percy, making the situations worse and worse. There are some jokes at the grandfather's dinner table that I did not understand (for example, the joke with the "ho" sister). Bernie Mac is simply perfect in the role of a very racist black man, and Aston Kutcher is very good in the role of an impulsive young guy that does not think before speaking. Indeed his character is too much silly to be a good and disputed professional in business. Unfortunately, in a certain moment the story become boring and corny, certainly for commercial interests in order to have a politically correct conclusion. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Família da Noiva" ("The Family of the Bride")