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In this black-girl-white-boy romance/comedy Theresa (Zoe Saldana) and Simon (Ashton Kutcher) are
set to hie off to the suburbs for her parents' 25th wedding anniversary party over the weekend. They have also decided to announce their engagement there. Theresa is
an artist who has been brought up "to see people, not colors"—thus she doesn't make an issue of informing her parents that her fiance is white. But Simon—a
promising World Street trader who has just quit his job—thinks she should have, lest the folks be shocked. As it turns out, her upscale parents Percy (Bernie Mac) and
Marilyn (Judith Scott) get the surprise of their life. Understanding the daughter she had brought up, Judith takes it all in stride, but not Percy who runs a credit check on
Simon to find out his net worth, and in the process, discovers what Theresa doesn't know: that Simon is unemployed.
Very good chemistry between Saldana and Kutcher makes for a believable truly-in-love couple in
Guess Who, but as a comedy, the movie doesn't have enough punch or wit to elicit belly laughs. There are a few funny-enough lines, and a number of scenes intended to be
comic but only turn out to be uncomfortable situations that fail short of their mark—like fireworks that merely sizzle when they're expected to explode. The character of
Mac as the eagle-eyed father of Theresa is so domineering that it eats up everybody sharing the screen with him. Scott and Saladana, however, must be credited for bringing
out the best in Mac. The story is pretty fast-paced; the cinematography, sounds, music and the rest of the cast are okay as far as the story demands.
The stand-out values in the movie are honesty, trust and good communication in relationships, as
portrayed by couples Theresa-Simon and Bernie-Marilyn. As the story unfolds these values are emphasized to be of primary importance if relationships must be fulfilling and
lasting. Parental concern for their children's virtue, albeit not entirely selfless in intent (demonstrated by Percy who's so protective of Theresa he sleeps practically
chained to Simon in the basement). While the movie is wholesome enough in the American context, caution must be used in allowing young adolescents to see it, lest they think
it's smart to (as Theresa does) call your parents by their first names and to talk them down when they're trying to make a point as parents.
(Date Reviewed: 22 April 2005)
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