Review of Black or White

Black or White tells the story of Elliot Anderson, a grieving widow who must take care of his granddaughter, Eloise, after losing his daughter as well. Once Eloise's African American grandmother, Rowena comes into the picture, all hell breaks loose as a bitter custody battle ensues. Directed by Mike Binder, Black or White stars Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Bill Burr, and Anthony Mackie. The film contains a pair of excellent performances but doesn't truly capitalize on the idea the film wants to get across. Kevin Costner is absolutely amazing as Elliott, a white grandfather to Eloise and soon-to-be alcoholic. What Costner does is introduce some one sided occurrences regarding race relations but thats as far as it goes. Black or White plays it very safe in telling this story when in all actuality it just needs a bit more honesty. The film is an entertaining drama and does hold your attention but it also proves that Mike Binder may not have had a total grasp of this film's real story. This is a story about Eloise and seeing this through her eyes. Binder never allows us to sink into Eloise's character and this makes for a very one sided film at times for both blacks and whites because Eloise is a supporting character and the lead is Kevin Costner. One thing that is extremely frustrating is the idea that Binder needed to include a black male character as a junkie and being untrustworthy. While yes, there are plenty of these people of ALL races, it feels like Binder was really trying to say something else here. Having Eloise's father be a black crackhead that has trouble staying clean is a bit of a clichè in terms of racism and I'm not quite sure why Binder chose to portray that character like that. There's plenty other things Eloise's father could have been and a crackhead should not have been one of them. Octavia Spencer gives another great performance as Rowena but Binder feels so obsessed with painting her as a cold and, at times, villainous character that is willing to go to the lowest depths to get Eloise to be released into her custody. Despite these moments that shift her character's intentions, Rowena just wants to be a grandmother and Elliott just wants to be a grandfather. The film's conclusion also seemed a bit too tied up because anyone who knows anything about custody battles knows that the fight continues outside the court for a very long time and I don't feel the film gave enough honesty to the topic at hand. Overall, Black or White is a decent film with a pair of amazing performances but the film's plot and heavy stereotypical racism hampers its hopes to becoming the important film it wants to be.