Black or White

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for brief strong language, thematic material involving drug use and drinking, and for a fight.
Run Time: 121 Minutes
My Rating: 4/5
So last night my wife and I went and saw Relativity Media's Black or White starring Kevin Costner (Draft Day), Octavia Spencer (The Help), and Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).  The film tells the story Elliot Anderson, a grandfather who is left in charge to take care of his granddaughter Eloise after his wife dies in a car accident.  Suddenly he begins to be pressured by Eloise's paternal grandmother and her hot-shot attorney brother in order to give custody to them. Now sweet, little Eloise is torn between two families that love her, who truly have the best intentions. However as the battle progresses, the issues of race, forgiveness, and love come to the forefront which forces everyone involved to examine their truest feelings.
So personally I really liked this film.  I thought that it dealt with some great issues and told an excellent story.  One of the best things about this film though was its cast.  Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer bring all their incredible talent into this film and their banter back and forth is excellent.  They work so well together that I personally wouldn't mind seeing another film starring these two.  Another great thing about this film is that it deals with important issues facing society today.  This film dares to talk about real issues and for that it should be rewarded.
Though I thought that the film was excellent there were a few things that bothered me.  Probably the biggest thing though was the fact that the characters in the film immediately pulled the race card when they weren't getting what they wanted.  Don't get me wrong I truly believe that there are people out in this world that still have biases and base their decisions and actions on those biases, but that isn't everyone and everyone shouldn't have to be punished for those people.  I absolutely hate it that whenever things go wrong people either pull the race card, the sexuality card, or my personal favorite, the hate-crime card.  Kevin Costner in the film is considered a racist immediately after not giving up full-custody of Eloise.  That bothers me immensely.  However, though the film did pull the race card up once or twice, which I hated, I have to commend the writers for giving Kevin Costner one of the best and truest comeback lines in any film in a long time.  I won't spoil the line, but you will know it when you hear it.
Overall, I thought the film was great.  Yes there were some things that bothered me, but I would definitely see this film again.  I believe that this is a film that everyone should see, but I will warn you that this film deals with pretty deep issues.  So just beware of that.  However, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Thanks again for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!!!