Great Interracial Movies and Love Stories

These are some of the best movies dealing with interracial relationships between African-American and white characters. Ranging from the mid-60s, when race relations were at their peak of controversy, to now, when an interracial relationship is surprisingly still something to turn heads.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) is credited as the original interracial love story movie with an all star cast including Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn. The daughter of a white family (Katharine Houghton) brings home her new fiancé (Sidney Poitier), a distinguished doctor who happens to be black. Turns out his black family is also uncomfortable with the idea of their son marrying a white girl, and the result is an honest movie about personal race prejudice.

The modern movie remake, Guess Who (2005), turns the tables pitting a white nice-guy Ashton Kutcher and his ethereal black girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) against the gruff, irrational black dad Bernie Mac. The movie is much less provocative than the original and full of stereotypical responses (specifically regarding black women), but still a sweet romantic comedy.

Sidney Poitier also starred earlier in an interracial love story movie in 1965 with the lesser known A Patch of Blue. Poitier's character Gordon meets a blind white girl (Elizabeth Hartman) who can only make judgments based on a person's voice. Natural trouble follows the interracial couple, specifically from her racist mother (Shelley Winters).

Something New (2006) finally switches things up and gives us a black woman/white man interracial relationship. This is an honest film in which Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) falls for her white landscaper Brian (Simon Baker). Their relationship has plenty of sizzle for the romance fans to go with the open look at internal racial struggles as well as society's prejudices. A strong cast also includes Mike Epps, Blair Underwood and Donald Faison.

Save the Last Dance is the 2001 movie hit chockfull of dimples between Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas. Thomas helps Stiles work through grief over her mother's recent death and helps her get back to her dream of becoming a ballerina. The hip-hop dancing ad soundtrack keep this "Flashdance" like movie flowing as Stiles learns to be the only white girl in her Chicago high school. The subplots verge on stereotypes with the single black mom, ghetto gangsters and racial tensions. Still, it's a feel-good romance that will take you back to high school.

The Bodyguard (1992) gives us another black woman (Whitney Houston essentially playing herself as a pop diva) and white man (Kevin Costner as her bodyguard) interracial relationship. The movie has class Costner moods and Houston's soulful rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" - her best contribution to the film.

In the Mix (2005) is a shallow but entertaining romantic comedy movie - the kind where everyone is ridiculously good looking, the problems are a bit too dramatic and everything is solved with a sudden moment of sexual tension. Still, with Usher playing a DJ who becomes the bodyguard to mob boss' daughter played by Emmanuelle Chriqui there's something for everyone to look at. Chass Palminteri plays the mob boss dad - Darrell (Usher) may be good enough to protect his daughter but his is good enough to date her?

Corrina, Corrina (1999) explores the concept of interracial relationships in the 1950s as a widower (Ray Liotta) hires a black housekeeper (Whoopie Goldberg) to help take care of his daughter (Tina Majorino). Majorino more than holds her own in the all-star cast as both she and Liotta grow closer to Goldberg's character amid opposition and blatant racism from both racial divides.

Jungle Fever (1991) is a Spike Lee movie throwing together Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra in a relationship testing the bounds of face, tradition and sexism. A subplot featuring a black woman and white man explores the interracial issue further.

The Rat Pack (1998) isn't completely about interracial relationships, but it does feature a deeper look at the interracial love affair between Sammy Davis Jr. (Don Cheadle) and his white wife while Frank Sinatra (Ray Liotta), Dean Martin (Joe Mantegna) and the rest of the 50s hipsters play on.

Driving Miss Daisy (1990) features two of the greatest actors of any generation: Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy. Tandy plays a sassy but slightly racist Jewish lady who develops a close friendship with a chauffeur (Freeman) forced upon her by her age and her son (Dan Akroid).

Crash (2005) is a raw look at race in Los Angeles by exploring how various characters (and more stars to name in this cast) cross each other's paths. Racism is viewed openly, and without limiting it to a white on black issue. It may not be an interracial romance, but it is definitely about interracial relationships.

And of course who can forget the greatest interracial relationship of all time? J. D. and Turk from Scrubs. The comedy duo (Zach Braff and Donald Faison) has been poking fun at mild race relations for years with the "Newbie's" blatant worship of his "Chocolate Bear." Black Turk may be married to Hispanic Carla, but the real racial romance, complete with slight gay overtones, is that of J. D. and Turk.