Black or White

Writer-director Mike Binder delves into his own family history for this timely dramedy starring Kevin Costner as a grieving widower who must fight to retain custody of a beloved bi-racial granddaughter. Still stunned following the death of his wife in an automobile accident, Scotch-swilling attorney Elliot Anderson (Costner) is nevertheless determined to continue to raise 7-year-old Eloise (Jillian Estell) in Brentwood, the affluent Los Angeles suburb where she's lived all her life. Eloise's mother—Elliot's 17-year-old daughter—died in childbirth. And Eloise's biological father, Reggie (Andre Holland), is a crack-smoking, drug-addicted ex-con with a long rap sheet, who has never taken any interest in Eloise's life. Suddenly, Eloise's paternal grandmother, Rowena—aka Grandma Wee Wee (Octavia Spencer)—demands guardianship, intending to move Eloise near her extended family in working-class Compton. At irrepressible Rowena's side as they head into the courtroom is her slick lawyer brother, Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie). Unfortunately, the film suffers some from oversimplification and melodrama, but Costner and Spencer are a great pair to watch, and this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Shades of Gray: The Making of Black or White” (24 min.) featurette, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are two promo segments (4 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)