#99: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and A Glass of Champagne
In summer of 2015, we cut the cord on cable, kicking off six months of series binge-watching across a multitude of platforms, from Amazon to Netflix to HBO. As we rounded into 2016, the age old question of “What do you want to watch tonight?” had started to test the both of us on a daily basis. So we made the New Year’s resolution to watch the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time in order from 100 to 1. We’ll be reviewing each one as we go, drinking a smidge along the way, and eating with the theme when the mood strikes. I hope you’ll join us!
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Released: 1967
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier
Running Time: 108 minutes
Tagline: A Love Story of Today
Summary: A white California couple is shocked when their daughter brings home her African-American fiancé after a whirlwind romance.
What We’re Drinking: California Sparkling, because we are celebrating a wedding (maybe)
I had never seen this movie before, despite hearing absolutely wonderful things about it, and loving everything that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy have ever done together. It was just as good as I hoped it would be.
The premise of the story is that a liberal California couple’s only daughter surprises her parents with a visit home, accompanied by her new fiancé, an African-American gentleman that she has just met. This shocks everyone, including the family’s African-American housekeeper, who isn’t quiet about her thoughts. Through a series of events, his parents also end up in town and invited to dinner. All parents are split on whether the match is a good idea at all, with the concern being that life will be harder for the couple and their children because of society. On the other hand, the parents are all fairly proud of their children, as they have the openmindedness and tolerance that their liberal upbringing fostered.
I frankly can’t believe this movie was made, especially in 1967. 1967 was the same year that the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia was argued and decided, which outlawed anti-miscegenation statutes on the books in most Southern states. This movie came out four months after the ruling. It’s amazing that the movie was made with such star power and critical acclaim behind it at a time when the idea of a mixed race couple was still illegal in a lot of places.
It also struck me as so sad that here we are, almost 50 years after this movie was made, and we are still having such issues with race in America. There are so many hopeful lines in this movie about what the future will be like for this couple’s children, and it’s so sad to me that almost none of those hopes came even close to fruition.
Sydney Poitier is amazing, and Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy are perfection, as always. Beah Richards is also poignantly hopeful in her portrayal of Sydney Poitier’s character’s mother. I can’t believe this movie is all the way at #99, but it makes me very excited about the 98 to go!
Overall Rating: 9 Out of 10
Drink Recipe: A Glass of California Sparkling
Ingredients: Korbel Brut Champagne (best champs for the money IMO)
Directions: Pour a small amount into a champagne flute to prime the glass. Wait for the bubbles to settle, then continue filling the glass. Ching ching to celebrate the evening (even if it is only a Tuesday)!
Next Up: Unforgiven
