Wes's Grade: C+Well-acted but predictable "Black or White" skims the surface of some important issues
The issue of racial divide has never been felt more in the U.S. in recent months, and on that note, the affecting, well-acted new drama "Black or White" is a timely effort, though it's really just a surface exploration of race and community that may have played better on the small screen. The movie tells the story of a grandfather named Elliot, (Kevin Costner) who is suddenly left to care for his beloved granddaughter Eloise (newcomer Jillian Estell in her feature film debut). When her paternal grandmother Rowena (Octavia Spencer) seeks custody with the help of her brother (Anthony Mackie), the little girl is torn between two families who love her deeply. Directed and written by Mike Binder ("Reign Over Me"), "Black or White" strives to be the next Very Important Movie and while it often misses that mark, there are a handful of compelling, if not overly calculated moments, especially in its final, overextended last act. For one, it's superbly acted from its leads, giving Oscar-winner Costner his strongest role in years, and if you're accustomed to seeing in lighter, romantic comedy roles (he's drunk through most of the film), you may not want to see it; fellow Oscar-winner Spencer is equally as good, her varied facial expressions tell what's going before she says anything at all, a mark of a wonderful actor. Second, it benefits from a solid supporting cast, including newcomer Estell, who is the film's most engaging in a natural, unaffected turn, as well as Bill Burr (as Elliot's co-worker and confidant), Mpho Koaho (as Eloise's math tutor) and Andre Holland (as Eloise's junkie father), who all have a few memorable scenes. What isn't as good is Binder's overly ambitious but predictable script, which is often too broad and too obvious in TV-movie like form - and much like its title - seems to lacking in shades of gray and subtlety, particularly in some of the simplistic courtroom scenes, which except for Costner's important monologue at the end, go on too long. The modestly touching (yes, take a few tissues) "Black or White" isn't the reverential, pertinent discourse it should be and only skims the surface of the issues it raises, and while entertaining, every time I hear "Black or White" it reminds me of something far more memorable: the energetic 1991 Michael Jackson song and video, which has far more going for it, including Jackson's spirited dance moves and an appearance from "Home Alone's" Macaulay Culkin.
No comments:
Post a Comment