Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

James Lowrey

 
Genre:

Drama

Movie

Everyone

No inappropriate moments

Family dynamics, Multicultural/cross-cultural issues, Racial/ethnic identity, Racial/ethnic politics, Relationships, Social justice

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is an examination of race relations in 1960s America. The film deals with a mixed race couple introducing one another to their respective parents. The couple desires the approval of their parents prior to their wedding, but both sets of parents have strong feelings about the marriage. As the movie goes on, the mothers of both partners begin to show their support for the relationship. The fathers, however, have very strong opinions that the marriage should not occur. Eventually, the fathers come to understand the love that their children share, and they each give their blessing by the end of the film. This film depicts race relations in a way that meshes very well with developmental theories. The young couple and the parents are juxtaposed as members of two very different cohorts.

 

The young couple sees nothing inherently wrong in their marriage and fails to see any major differences that would impede their union. The parents, on the other hand, see the marriage as culturally taboo, and they see the differences between the couple as too difficult to overcome.

 

It may be helpful in counseling to recognize the differing views about race held between different generations. A younger client may have very different views about race versus an older client. Making these views a part of your work in counseling may be a good starting point for multicultural discussions with clients. This film is recommended as a part of bibliotherapy for clients.