Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton) is a young white woman from a prominent white family with wealthy parents, who are white. She takes a trip to Hawaii and in just ten days becomes engaged to a well known doctor, John Prentice. The film opens as they return to San Francisco and stun Joanna's parents, Matt (Spencer Tracy) and Christina (Katharine Hepburn), with the engagement news. Oh, and Doctor Prentice is a "colored man" (Sidney Poitier). And it's 1967.
The Draytons liberal values are put to the test by their daughters enthusiasm for John. While supportive of their daughter's happiness, there's just something about John Prentice that they struggle with. Things go from awkward to comically awkward to even more comically awkward when Joanna invites John's parents (also unaware of the situation and equally not white) to fly up from Los Angeles and join them all for dinner. Awkward...
This is an entirely dialogue driven film with very limited settings (the Drayton house). Front and center are the biases, fears and the societal pressures surrounding interracial relationships. Race was a defining issue of America in the 1960s and the tensions in this film, softened by humor, would be all to poignant to period audiences.
The film offers a nuanced exploration of prejudice, examining both overt and subtle forms of racism. The Draytons, and John's parents, despite their liberal beliefs, struggle with their own preconceived notions, and fears for the future, highlighting the complexities of human nature in transitional times. While emphasizing the potential of love to transcend societal barriers and be a catalyst for progress, the film also uses the generational divide between the parents and children in their attitudes towards race.
Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier carry this movie with outstanding performances. Poitier's dignified and commanding presence informs the plot, while his insecurities about his own parents linger. John's value of large scale social change in conflict with personal doubt in ones closest relationships highlight the core theme of the film. The entire supporting cast is likewise up to the material. "Looks Who's Coming to Dinner" is quite funny at times, but also seriously emotionally engaging from beginning to end. As a bonus there's a fair amount of on location footage of San Francisco in the '60s.
Much has changed since 1967, it can not be denied. As mentioned in the script for example, the central relationship of John Joanna was literally illegal in many states when this film was released. But just the same, "Looks Who's Coming to Dinner" is a story that could well play out today.
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