Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 15, 2024

The Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 4 box set includes award winners, critical darlings and fan favorites alike: His Girl Friday (1940), a sharply scripted and surprisingly timely commentary on the "dark ages of the newspaper game"; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), a brilliantly awkward clash-of-cultures influence on so many films that represents one of the finest unpacking of everyday race relations in 1960s cinema; Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), a heartbreaking dramatization of the impact and collateral damage of divorce and custody battles; Starman (1984), an oft-forgotten gem of a romantic sci-fi adventure that puts a spin on E.T.; Sleepless in Seattle (1993), which needs no introduction to anyone who was coming of age or searching for love in the '90s; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), simultaneously one of Paul Thomas Anderson and Adam Sandler's best, forcing mental health, romance and social anxiety to collide in a dramedy for the ages.

When Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn) are wealthy liberals who must confront the latent racism the coming marriage arouses. Also attending the Draytons' dinner are Prentice's parents (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.

Click here to read Jeffrey Kauffman's 2015 review of the film, which he says "keeps things surprisingly light in spite of the potentially contentious material." Adding, "this is one Dinner most people will want to RSVP to affirmatively."

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In retrospect, Sony's previously released 2017 standard Blu-ray edition of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner isn't quite as perfect as it once seemed. While still excellent, this new 1.85:1 4K presentation features more lifelike skintones, more eye-pleasing saturation, and a more acutely resolved grain field. Detail receives a slight boost too, with cleaner edge definition completely devoid of halos and other artificial trappings, modestly better-resolved fine detail, and a more consistent veneer of grain. Yes, it can get a bit heavy at times, but it remains wonderfully filmic and true to the original elements. Colors are striking and nicely contrasted, black levels are rich and inky, and primaries have a welcome punch. Hepburn's fire-red lipstick alone pops, without requiring her face to bear the brunt of any overly flushed hues. There's a handsome earthiness to the palette as well, keeping in line with the original locales and sets. Some softness creeps in here and there, but only insofar as the original photography dictates. Kudos to Sony for not sharpening the hell out of these moments and letting film simply be film. Moreover, there isn't any errant digital or encoding anomalies like banding or blocking anywhere in sight. This is, hands down, the best Guess Who's Coming to Dinner has ever and conceivably could ever look.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dolby Atmos overkill? Not so fast. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner may not need such high tech wonderment, but that doesn't mean such marvels don't lend themselves to a whole new way of watching -- rather, hearing -- the classic film. Set largely in an apartment, I was impressed with the location's immersiveness. Whether or not these qualities were present in the original sound design or more the product of modern wizardry is irrelevant to me, although I'm sure there are purists out there ready to argue the upgrade is anything but. (Have no fear: a strong 2.0 lossless mono mix is on tap for your purist pleasure.) Atmos directionality is excellent, with subtle ambient effects and acoustic nuances creating the feeling of a real, lived-in space in which the characters dwell. Voices sound natural in this space, as do clinking glasses, awkward silences, the sound of a person shifting uncomfortably in their seat... all of it present and accounted for; not to the point of sounding unnatural or overly manufactured, thankfully. I forgot about the Atmos aspect of the mix multiple times, not because it wasn't apparent but because the clarity, fidelity and immersion were so organic that I kept losing myself in the film. Better still, dialogue remains intelligible and perfectly prioritized, the film's score sounds great, and there's little left to be critical of. The new surround mix did bear the brunt of some inconsistencies -- mainly in the tone and the groundedness of voices -- but it rarely distracted, and is clearly a part of the original elements. All told, I can't imagine Guess Who's Coming to Dinner sounding better than it does here.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Unlike His Girl Friday, the audio commentary for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (with film historians Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo) is included on the 4K disc

• Film Introductions (HD, 10 minutes) - Introductory comments to the film, divided into four short videos, with an interesting selection of guests: Karen Kramer, Steven Spielberg, Tom Brokaw and Quincy Jones.

• A Love Story for Today (HD, 30 minutes) - A solid, well-produced retrospective circa 2015.

• A Special Kind of Love (HD, 17 minutes) - This featurette includes archival recordings of Hepburn, along with an interview with Katharine Houghton discussing what it was like to be Hepburn's niece.

• Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth (HD, 17 minutes) - Kramer's vision for the film.

• Stanley Kramer Accepts the Irving Thalberg Award (HD, 2 minutes)

• 2007 Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award Presentation (HD, 5 minutes)

• Original Theatrical Trailer

• Teaser

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A classic in every sense of the word, including its cultural importance, influence and legacy, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is remains (sadly) a timely examination of racial tensions and -- pardon the saccharine comment to follow -- the power of love in combating them. Watching the film today, you can almost imagine a nearly identical series of events playing out around a couple flanked by two couches, one with a MAGA mama and papa, the other with two liberal big city parents; both equally non-plussed. You could argue the film's air of timelessness makes it a classic, but even if race relations were transported to a ideal world tomorrow, it would still be a strong piece of meaningful cinema examining the biases, beliefs and privilege we sometimes don't realize lurks beneath the surface. Oh, the 4K release? Better than any Blu-ray thanks to a striking video presentation, excellent Atmos audio offering (with a lossless mono mix option in place for purists), and a solid selection of extras. Highly recommended.