Race relations stacked with schtick

When Kevin Rodney Sullivan, the director of "Guess Who," took on the task of remaking a 1963 classic about love conquering racism, he set out to move mountains. The original "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," starring Sidney Poitier opposite Katharine Houghton as his white love interest, brought humor to a serious social concern. The remake takes a look at love and interracial relationships in the 21st century by casting Ashton Kutcher as Simon and Zoe Saldana as Theresa, his fiancée. \nCarefully directed, the film takes a look at the faults of both blacks and whites when dealing with racism. One scene where Simonsits down at the dinner table with Theresa's father, Percy (Bernie Mac), spurs a list of names he didn't call him, such as cracker, peckerwood, paleface, etc. Simon later tells black jokes and everyone is laughing until one joke is too offensive to laugh at. After dinner Percy questions how Simon came up with so many jokes, and he in turn feels the pressure of trying to impress an all-black family. \nThough the movie is a comedy, they leave most of the jokes to the father-in-law/son-in-law bonding reminiscent of "Father of the Bride" and "Son in Law." This bonding erases many of the color lines, leaving the focus on meeting the in-laws and gaining their trust -- something everyone can relate to. Sex is carefully left out of the script and replaced with Simon calling Theresa "baby" throughout the entire film along with kisses and scenes of Theresa looking safe is Simon's arms. \nUnafraid, Sullivan didn't stop there, and hung the more poignant scenes in the movie on racial issues. Theresa asking for her father's approval because the outside world is disdainful of her relationship and Simon's reasoning for quitting his successful job serve as testaments that as far as race is concerned there are still barriers to overcome. Of course, like any mainstream movie, there is an inevitable Hollywood ending making the middle of the movie seem like filler for a comedic love story disguised as a remake of a movie that tackled the very serious issues of love and racism.