Black or White (2015), PG-13, ★★1/2

Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell.

In today's standards in America, whenever there is a case regarding a black person, a Latino, an Asian, etc, there is always going to be the matter of raising what racial equality is in relevance to the people involved from the minority. Right now, there has been a few more cases involving black and white communities going either in a ruckus or standing firm to their communities and sticking to their own judgments. I cannot say whether or not they do is fair and I cannot be judgmental to their decisions. It is entirely about freedom of speech and their rights. However, this is a relevant movie regarding to today's society as it tries to balance the views of stereotyping and racism into a small situation but even though it has some good elements and chemistry, the movie is ruined by conventional courtroom-drama antics and a terrible climax.

Elliot Anderson (Kevin Costner) is widowed after his wife has been killed in a car crash. He is home alone and tries to drink himself to sleep. In the morning, his granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell), who is African-American, knocks on the door and asks where her grandmother is. Elliott succinctly replies to get ready for school. When Eloise is at school, guests are preparing for the funeral. Rick (Bill Burr) and his girlfriend, Fay (Gillian Jacobs) go with Elliot to pick up Eloise and he sits her down as he tells her the truth.

Rowena (Octavia Spencer) who is Eloise's other grandmother goes to Elliot's wife's funeral and immediately starts talking about her big family, implying that Eloise should leave him to live with them. Rowena threatens Elliot to sue for custody as she says that they are both black and angers Elliot as he says that Eloise is "half-black" and lives in a safe neighborhood in L.A. Rowena's brother, Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie), is a lawyer who tries to help Rowena and tries to convince her to say that Elliot does not like black people. But, her attitudes get in the way as the judge does not care for it. Reggie (Andre Holland), her father, comes back to Eloise's life as he says that he is clean and wants to be a better parent. It is not as much as the battle of race, but a battle of wit to care for someone.

Both Costner and Spencer discussing the case at a reunion.

This movie has a lot going well for the plot as we witness both people from different races debating how to care for a girl who needs attention. It seems like a very good case to see on-screen as it provides some depth and examination. How do you react to something that has to involve race and nurture for a person that does not look like you? It is difficult with how realistic and how big the picture is when looking at the situation. There's a scene in the movie where both Costner and Spencer's family reunite at a home and we look carefully at how Eloise communicates with her cousins. It is distinctive and different as how he interacts with Costner.

Kevin Costner gives a very good and assured performance, which I think it is one of his best roles to date, because the challenge is that he plays a white character who lost his wife, has to deal with the custody of raising a black child, dealing with Rowena's family and overcoming alcoholism and traces of racism. We become sympathetic with a very difficult character. Octavia Spencer also has the same type of role by raising issues that someone should live with her because of skin color and has to defend that while dealing with Reggie. Anthony Mackie is effective as the lawyer. Jillian Estell has pep in her role but she is used, unfortunately, as a tool to drive the plot along and as a tool for the case.

Director Mike Binder has something really going well for the film, displaying the issues on-screen making the plot seem real and relevant to today's society. However, while I admire this film a whole lot, the movie's last half-hour goes into very weak territory as it goes predictable territories and preachy dialogue with sentimental music in the background that makes it so cheesy and we could not help but making a facepalm near the end. It is a well-done family drama that has a paramount importance but it is ruined by a traditional happy ending that seemed so manipulative that we almost forgot we were watching a Hollywood movie in the end.

**1/2