GUESS WHO
Learning to live and love together through family comedy.
Should You Watch It?
GUESS WHO is a funny, breezy comedy with a formulaic plot and enough good, clean fun for teenagers and adults. The cast does a good job, especially Bernie Mac as a loving but overprotective father. Ashton Kutcher plays well against Mac’s take-no-prisoners style.
The film’s central conflict involves family, honesty, racial tension, and the struggle to learn how to live and love together. It also includes positive comments about maintaining a Christian home.
The content is lighter than in similar romantic comedies, but it is not spotless. Expect light sexual innuendo, foul language, alcohol use, and a relationship presented as sexually active before marriage. You can take older teens and adults; parents should use discernment with younger children.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESSimon Green, a young white stockbroker, becomes engaged to Theresa Jones, a beautiful Black artist. Theresa wants to announce their engagement to her parents during their twenty-fifth anniversary party, but she has not told them Simon is white.
Simon is keeping a secret of his own: he quit his job after an ethical disagreement with his boss. When Theresa’s father, Percy, meets him, Percy begins grilling Simon about his life. Simon’s attempts to make a good impression only make matters worse.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means GUESS WHO is an enjoyable, capable comedy that falls short of being especially brilliant or clever. Its plot is formulaic, but the film is funny and breezy, with more family-friendly content than similar romantic comedies such as the MEET THE PARENTS movies.
The cast carries much of the appeal. Bernie Mac is especially effective as the loving, overprotective father, while Ashton Kutcher plays well against his forceful comic style. The movie provides enough good, clean fun for teenagers and adults, even though it does not reach the cleverness or satisfaction of HITCH.
The Worldview
GUESS WHO ultimately presents a Christian worldview about learning to live and love together. The film’s family conflict moves toward greater understanding rather than continued hostility, and Theresa’s father makes positive comments about running a Christian home.
The movie also addresses racial tension through comedy. Percy is upset when his daughter brings home a white fiancé, while the Black characters become upset when Simon is encouraged to tell ethnic jokes and goes too far. The film treats these conflicts as barriers that families must confront honestly rather than reasons to reject one another.
The movie’s Christian perspective is weakened by its treatment of sexual morality. Simon and Theresa are clearly living together and sleeping together before marriage, and the film includes light sexual innuendo. Still, its emphasis on family reconciliation and learning to love others aligns with Scripture: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian worldview with some moral content, but in a comic vein, with some foul language and light sexual innuendo, including engaged couple clearly lives together and sleeps together; 12 obscenities (nothing seriously heavy) and three light profanities; some comical violence such as competitive go-kart racing with drivers deliberately bumping the opponent’s kart, go-karts smash through hedge and man knocks fez off Shriner’s head; light sexual innuendo such as unmarried couple clearly appears to be sleeping together and living together, but nothing shown, and comments like “shaking the sheets” and “Don’t say bone in my house”; no nudity; alcohol use; and, lying and white man is encouraged to tell some ethnic jokes, but black characters get upset when he goes too far.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Simon hides that he quit his job, and his lie increases Percy’s suspicions. Why does honesty matter when a truth may be difficult to explain?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22Percy and Simon struggle to respect one another across racial and family differences. What does it look like to listen before judging?
James 1:19 · Philippians 2:3–4Theresa’s father speaks positively about keeping a Christian home, while Simon and Theresa’s relationship does not follow biblical sexual standards. What should shape the choices made inside a Christian home?
1 Corinthians 6:18–20 · Ephesians 5:1–2The film centers on learning to live and love together. How can your family practice love when differences create tension?
John 13:34–35 · Romans 12:18The Final Word
GUESS WHO is a funny, breezy comedy with strong performances and a positive emphasis on family, honesty, and learning to love together. Its sexual innuendo and foul language call for discernment with younger children, but teenagers and adults can find good, clean fun here. WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
