Movie: Black or White

Black or White:  grandparents feuding over custody of their granddaughter.  Kevin Costner is the grandfather, Elliot Anderson; Octavia Spencer is the grandmother, Rowena Jeffers.  The opening sequence has Costner learning that his wife, Carol, has died from injuries suffered in an off-camera automobile accident.  We then learn that Elliot and Carol have been raising their granddaughter since birth because the child’s mother, their daughter, died in childbirth.  The granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell), is now 7 years old and goes to a private school.  Elliot is a lawyer; Rowena’s brother is a lawyer.  Their respective law firms represent the grandparents in the custody dispute that is at the heart of this film.  We are told through a few brief flashbacks that Rowena and Carol had worked out an arrangement, which is why Eloise’s custody has never been an issue.  However, concurrent with Carol’s death, Eloise’s father, Reggie (Andre Holland), a man with a criminal record and a history with drugs, returns to Compton from Seattle claiming to be clean.  We learn the backstory of Reggie and Elliot’s daughter as the film unfolds.  The acting is uniformly good, and Eloise has a wondrous smile that lights up the screen.  The movie is written and directed by Mike Binder.  While the script sidesteps easy racial stereotyping, unfortunately this 121 minute film suffers a detachment from reality that muddles the story.  For example:  there is way too much happening in the courtroom; custody hearings are not held in open court among a bevy of active spectators; Elliot’s courtroom behavior belies his alleged success as a lawyer; and there is the unbelievable character Duvan (Mpho Koaho), who is initially hired as Eloise’s math tutor.  Duvan is West African, speaks 7 or 9 languages (I heard both numbers mentioned), plays piano, has written scholarly articles with very technical titles, is far too polite and, due to Elliot’s drinking problem, has also become Elliot’s chauffer.  This film has a “Hallmark Presents” quality and, while I basically enjoyed it, I recommend that you save your money and wait until this film airs on TV.  Notwithstanding the script, Costner and Spencer show what fine actors they are by maintaining the viewer’s interest in a film which could have offered a far more interesting and invigorating story.