Black or White (2014)

*** out of ****

Back when Kevin Costner was a mega-movie star, he did a couple of films I really loved. “Bull Durham” (1988) and “Dances With Wolves” (1990) are timeless in my opinion. Unfortunately, I usually found the rest of his movies to be pretty one-note, predictable and run-of-the-mill Hollywood pulp. Then as his star faded, he did a couple more films I found really wonderful. “For Love of the Game (1999) and “Open Range” (2003) are classics of their respective genre (sports film and western). Still, he did a lot of junk.

So now, as he hits his 60s and has lost much of his box office appeal, I find myself enjoying his new films on a much more consistent basis. He hasn't made an earth-shaking film in quite some time, but the movies he is choosing to be the star of are more frequently interesting and likeable than at any point in his career. I honestly loved “Mr. Brooks” (2007) and “Draft Day” (2014), and enjoyed “The Company of Men” (2011) and the new Jack Ryan movie. Costner seems more inclined to take films that are less Hollywood these days, and I like that about his choices.

But “Black or White” is a bit of a “safe” move for him. It's more of a straight Hollywood type film, but for once that doesn't really detract from its quality. Costner plays Elliot Anderson, a successful attorney whose wife has just died in a car crash. Elliot and his wife have been raising their granddaughter Eloise, and he is left now to look after her on his own. Like many men his age he doesn't really know a lot about how kids are raised (having left it mostly to his wife), and now has to learn fast and hard.

But there are a few problems. Elliot drinks too much, and the loss of his wife exacerbates his drinking. Add to this the fact that he is raising his Eloise because her mother (Elliot's daughter) died in childbirth, and Eloise's father is a recovering crack-addict with violent tendencies. Eloise's paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer) can't see her son's problems and is determined to pry Eloise away from Elliot and bring her home. And Elliot isn't exactly good at holding his tongue, so things get pretty ugly between all the parties.

So yes, “Black or White” is a bit predictable and designed to create very specific feelings in the viewer, but that doesn't mean it can't work. Costner plays the part extremely well, and Spencer is gleefully narcissistic and self-obsessed. Jillian Estell plays Eloise, and though her part is critical to the plot there isn't a lot for her to do – that being said, she does everything she needs to.

....I just realized I have left out a supposedly “key” theme – Eloise is half black. Eloise's father is a black man, her mother was a white woman, and while this shouldn't mean much it becomes a key issue in the film. The paternal family decides that to get Eloise they need to show Elliot as a bigot in court. Elliot is stuck between a rock and a hard place – he isn't a bigot but does intensely dislike Eloise's father, and has said a few things over the years that could be used against him. The crux of the film becomes will he be able to keep Eloise, and even more importantly given his personal issues, should he be allowed to?

Score it another winner for Costner in my book. It won't be remembered as a significant film, but it should be remembered as an entertaining one that will make you think, hope, and maybe even look at a few things in a different way.