"Guess Who" leaves no one guessing

Take "Meet The Parents," add in black and white racial stereotype jokes and you get "Guess Who," an expensive laugh starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher.

Set in New York, white businessman Simon Green (Kutcher) and African-American artist Theresa Jones (Zoe Saldan) fall in love with each other and are engaged to be married. Little does the Jones family know that Simon is white when Theresa brings him home to meet the family. Simon tries to impress Theresa's father, Percy Jones, by lying about a high-ranking job that he quit and being part of a NASCAR pit crew to prove his athletic prowess. But it's only a matter of time before Simon gets caught wearing Theresa's lingerie and the family feuds begin. Racial undertones are behind every comment, but Mac's bulging eyes and the awkward culture differences make the first half of the movie hysterical.Mac and Kutcher prove to be the core of this comedy, with Kutcher's klutziness and Mac's deep drawling words and piercing stare. Their stunts range from practicing the tango with each other to racing go-carts and sleeping in the same bed. Witty comments ranging from Simon's, "I'm pigment challenged" to Percy's, "There's a crack-house downtown," referring to a place Simon could spend the night, also add to the movie's touchy but humorous tone.

With the talents of director Kevin Rodney Sullivan ("Barbershop 2") and producers Erwin Stoff and Jason Goldberg ("The Matrix" and MTV's hit show "Punk'd") the cinematography, including beautiful shots of the city all the way up to Mac's rolling eyes, is excellent. The screenplay by David Ronn and Jay Scherick boldly crosses racial boundaries. Altogether, however, the movie is cursed with a predictable plot that is not strong enough to carry the movie through to the end.

Tempers begin to wear thin, and relationships must be patched up as the story continues. The all too real-life fighting with a loved one does not crack too many smiles; it is difficult after all to see interracial couples still struggling to find acceptance.

If one is looking to be entertained by Mac and Kutcher picking on each other, then this is the movie to see, but an enticing story and original plot cannot be found here.

"Guess Who" (97 minutes) is rated PG-13 for sex-related humor.