KEVIN Rodney Sullivan's culture-clash comedy, intended as a humorous spin on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, bears uncanny similarities to Meet The Parents.
Like that smash hit confection, Guess Who pits an over-protective and scheming father against a prospective, eager-to-please son-in-law.
In both cases, an escalating series of lies and misunderstandings results in tears, tantrums and wounded egos.
However, whereas Meet The Parents boasts plentiful belly laughs and inspired casting, Guess Who only manages a few chuckles and is overly sentimental.
Percy Jones (Bernie Mac) is a devoted family man and he is especially proud of his daughter Theresa (Zoe Saldana), whose penchant for loser artist boyfriends never ceases to amaze her father.
When Theresa announces she is bringing home her latest boyfriend, a stockbroker called Simon Green, Percy runs a credit and background check and is surprised to find that, on paper at least, Simon is a young man of prospects and means.
Looking forward to meeting the mystery man, Percy is aghast when Simon (Ashton Kutcher) turns out to be "pigment challenged".
Despite the protestations of his wife Marilyn (Judith Scott), Percy takes an immediate dislike to Simon and sets about trying to destroy the relationship.
In order to impress Percy, Simon begins telling a few fibs - including his non-existent past as a NASCAR test driver - which soon come back to haunt him.
Percy in turns tells a few white lies of his own, including telling his assistant Reggie (RonReaco Lee) that Simon is a black man called Jamal from Atlanta who plays basketball and has personal connections with Bill Cosby.
As the rivalry between the two men intensifies, the two women are caught in the crossfire, ruining preparations for Percy and Marilyn's 25th anniversary party.
Guess Who aims for easy laughs and largely hits the target, from Percy walking in on Simon trying on his girlfriend's lingerie to a go-kart race which inflames both men's competitive spirit.
Mac and Kutcher are an appealing double act but the script doesn't provide either actor with enough snappy one-liners to truly shine.
Saldana and Scott make sure both their men have to fight for their love while Kellee Stewart is an amusing diversion as Theresa's sassy sister Keisha.
The three screenwriters throw in a number of superfluous subplots and supporting characters - like an effete party organiser who becomes the brunt of Percy's homophobic jibes - to drag out the running time.
See it at UCI, ABC
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