Guess who didn't want to see this movie? I'll give you a hint ... it was me.
Sure, a couple of comedians trying to one up each other with the help of race as a major punch line can be funny, but unfortunately "Guess Who" was really just a mix between "All in the Family" and "Meet the Parents," lacking the comedic subtlety of both.
This remake from director Kevin Rodney Sullivan of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" gives the audience a few laughs through the use of awkward situations, but ultimately fails to entertain.
As with many of Sullivan's films, such as "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," the cast is decent, but the funniest jokes are in the trailers.
Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) and Theresa Jones (Zoe Saldana) are a normal interracial couple living in New York trying to keep the early '90s dream alive.
Like most relationships, meeting the parents is always a big step, but when Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) is the father, things are 10 times worst.
Percy is surprised to find that Simon is whiter than rice and unemployed. This makes things awkward from the start, but as the weekend progresses it gets a whole lot worse. Only after a few hours, Simon manages to be caught cross-dressing and lying about his NASCAR career.
Percy is a lot like Robert DeNiro's character in "Meet the Parents" as he shares his dislike for the daughter's choice and lacks trust in the guy. But unlike the chemistry between Ben Stiller and DeNiro in "Meet the Parents," Mac and Kutcher's comedic styles clash.
I didn't have good feelings about "Guess Who" when I went into it, and my suspicions came true by the end.
Sure, the jokes were funny sometimes, and they were not racist enough to offend anyone, but I am not a huge fan of Ashton Kutcher and like most of his films, he only plays one character. All of the roles he plays are the same person with a different name. I sat through the movie and felt like I was watching "Punk'd," but no one was crying or screaming the
f-word at the cops.
I enjoy Bernie Mac as a comedian, but his last few films have been terrible. First "Mr. 3000" and now this. America, I think he needs to actually read the scripts before he agrees to anything.
I give "Guess Who" two pitchforks out of five.
Reach the reporter at brian.kirshman@asu.edu.
