Mac, Kutcher deliver comic performance in Guess Who

A movie involving the contemporary complexities of interracial dating and the awkwardness of meeting the parents makes for interesting viewing, especially when Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher play the father-in-law and groom respectively.

Percy Jones (Mac) is the ever vigilant, over-protective father and when his daughter Theresa (Zoe Saldana) announces her intention to bring home her live-in boyfriend to her parents' 25th anniversary party, Jones has the boy's credit report checked out and heartily approves of both him and his net worth.

The thing Theresa conveniently forgets to tell him is that her boyfriend, Simon Green (Kutcher) is white and that he has proposed and they are now engaged.

How Green manages to stay with the love of his life and her father amidst bad sofa-beds, snoring, racial jokes, male bashing girl-powwows and even some car racing forms the rest of the plot.

Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, whose previous works include Barbershop 2 and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, the movie stars Judith Scott as the understanding, empathetic mother-in-law and Kellee Stewart as Theresa's sister Keisha who shows her support by declaring that she never has to worry about being scolded again as her sister was the "one who brought home the white boy."

Mac shines in his role as a father who would put a boyfriend of any race through caustic surveillance.

Kutcher's character, with the lack of positive male role models in his life, draws out the paternal instinct in Percy.

Their surprising yet genuine chemistry makes for a refreshing entertainer.

However, the lead actors do not seem to be given much creative freedom to explore their comic side through their characters.

The movie also doesn't do justice to the comedy's theme of interracial dating and cultural differences. Instead of discussing anything slightly risqué or insightful about differences between races in approach or culture, the plot sticks to sitcom-like, strictly feel-good scenarios.

The material in the movie is not meant to make anyone uncomfortable and that makes it seem a little contrived.

It had its share of awkward moments between the characters, but most of those stemmed from the awkwardness of "meeting the parents," which has been done.

If you expect a smart, sassy comedy about the ups and downs of interracial dating, forget about it.

But for some entertaining, yet unlikely, male bonding between the almost ghetto Mac and the nerdy white boy Kutcher, this should be your pick, hands down without any guesses.