ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

An Ashton Kutcher movie is usually identified by a stench of sweaty desperation, but thankfully he resists the urge for manic mugging in Guess Who. Still, this comedy isn't subtle and comparisons to the 1967 classic Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) are futile. It's more like Meet The Parents, only less funny and with a gimmicky racial twist; Kutcher is the timid, white boy struggling to impress his future father-in-law played by big, brash, black man Bernie Mac.

Kevin Rodney Sullivan directs what is essentially a string of overly familiar and sometimes absurd scenarios. For example, so outraged by the idea of Simon (Ashton Kutcher) having sex with his daughter (Zoë Saldana) under his own roof, Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) insists on sharing his bed. While the sight of Mac spooning Kutcher between the sheets is funny for a moment, it's symptomatic of a script that prizes the easy gag over shrewd insights.

"IT'S BOLD BUT ULTIMATELY POINTLESS"

In any case, the laughs are few and far between. More often than not the joke falls flat, as in a dinner scene where Simon attempts to break the tension by making racist cracks. It's bold but ultimately pointless and it's this feeling of shock for shock's sake that undermines the poster image of racial tolerance. Instead of tackling the issue, Sullivan uses it as a crutch for limp comedy set-ups. It's a shame since Kutcher and Mac do have a sparkling chemistry but, in the end, moviegoers will only remember Guess Who as "that Meet The Parents clone with whatsisname and thingamajig".